The Old You
by ACDCxCARMINE
Summary: After the war Naruto has lost his shine. Becoming depressed and a hermit Naruto refuses to move on, but with the help of his friends and a special blond will Naruto become whole once again? Or be a fraction of his former self forever. NARUINO
1. Chapter 1 Silence

The Old You

(AN: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! This is my first fan fiction and I've had many ideas for many years so I finally decided to put it on paper so to speak. I am very much welcome to open constructive criticism as such as story, characters, or even grammar mistakes that I have overlooked and just a heads up I'm terrible when it comes to commas. I hope to get better with time with the help of reviews and practice so just stay with me if I'm not up to par at first. Thank you and I hope you enjoy .)

(AN2: Last chapter read as of the start of this Fan Fiction- Naruto Manga 684)

(I will use a lot of information based off of the recent manga ((but will not fallow all of it forever and will break off into my own story such as Obito is dead and Kakashi and Sakura are in the real world as of the start of this story)) so if you're confused with some of the aspects with the early battle and story…READ THE MANGA!)

Chapter 1 Silence

It has been 6 months since the end of the 4th great ninja war. It has been 6 months since my 18th birthday where everything changed. I sit here in my room and think of the events of the last months. I was promoted to jonin on our arrival home from the war. But I was put on in-active duty because of my extreme depressed state. I have constant flash backs to the war and think how strange it was. Not many people get to say they lost friends, killed a great evil, and won a freaking war on their birthday. I was named a hero for the second time though this time for the entire ninja world. Such a meaningless title to me now. It's hard to be happy or even enjoy such a title. How could I? When I lost….my best friend. Unable to save him… even with all my so called tremendous power.

I've spent all of these past 6 months alone not bothering to leave my home and when I do it's just for food and house hold needs. I haven't seen any of my friends in that time nor do I want to. How could I face any of them? We might have won the war, but I failed with my promise. I've lost the urge to move on putting my dreams on a hiatus. I'm just a fraction of my former self unwilling to progress with my life. It doesn't help that the events of that night keep ringing through my mind numbing me. Making me wish for death that could never come no matter how far I fall. After all I made…HIM…a promise… even if I'm barely who I used to be I can't give up… because I'm still me…the future hokage… and a promise…is a promise. My mind wonders to relive that night again… over and over…I picture it.

_Flashback: (4__th__ great ninja war- Date: October, 10) _

_Naruto, Sasuke, and the mother of all ninja Kaguya were currently in the most inner dimension of Kaguya's dimensional shift jutsu. _

_The land is covered in sand as far as the eye can see. There is a hot stale wind in the air blowing up clouds of sand and dust. A cloudless sky casts upon the battle field where the sounds of metal and shouting ring through the air. _

"_SASUKE GET DOWN!" Naruto yells while hovering 20 feet in the air above Sasuke._

_Sasuke jumps to the ground just as a blade meant to pierce him in the back passes over nipping at his hair. _

"_Damn with her dimension jutsu she can get behind us quicker then we can counter." Sasuke says while standing._

"_Just keep on the move while I think of something!" Naruto says floating down to stand next to Sasuke. _

" _you come up with a plan don't make me l-" starts Sasuke but a long blade passes between Naruto and Sasuke creating a soft whistle through the air causing them to jump apart kicking up dust._

"_Cough, cough… great just great now I can't see!" yells Naruto_

"_Shut up Naruto!" yells Sasuke "keep your god damn emotions under control."_

_The dust settles to reveal Kaguya standing 10 feet across from Sasuke and Naruto. Holding two more 2 foot blades in her hands._

"_Your bickering annoys me. Please be silent while I kill you both" Kaguya whispers emotionless_

_Naruto grits his teeth and start to hover above the ground _

"_You know you're really starting to piss me the fuck off lady!' Naruto yells clenching his fits making his knuckles pop._

"_Naruto I just told you to keep calm!" Sasuke says "if we let ourselves get out of hand this fight is over for us."_

_**(MIND) "He's right Naruto just keep calm and we'll think of another trick to get within her defenses." Kurama Says. **__(Nine tails) __**"Though try not to be as retarded as to use a perverted jutsu again". **_

_(MIND) "Hey that almost worked so don't judge me I'm supposed to be unpredictable!" Naruto thinks "but your right….have any ideas?" _

_**(MIND) "No none of us do**__ (the other 8 demons)… __**but we might be able to use all of this dust to our advantage." Kurama says getting a sly grin.**_

_(MIND) "What like blind her?" Naruto asks _

_Naruto uses his black chakra sword's to block 3 more blades thrown by Kaguya. Naruto fly's back 10 feet to give some distance._

_(MIND) "You know she has the byakugan right… She can see through anything with those eyes!" Naruto thinks. With a sarcastic look on his face._

_Sasuke charges a chidori and rushes in at great speed at Kaguya. He jumps high into the air using one of Naruto's chakra platforms he created to quickly change direction at flickering speed. Right as Sasuke is about to strike Kaguya slips into her portal vanishing from sight causing Sasuke to smash into the ground leaving a crater where his chidori hit. _

"_Hm… she's so fast my body can't keep up with her" Sasuke says_

_Sasuke turns to look over at Naruto in slight annoyance at his seemingly uninterested posture all of the sudden "you know I could use your help with this Naruto!" _

_Naruto blinks in realization. "Ya, ya, I'm talking with Karuma about that so could you give me a SECOND!" Naruto retorts while his left eye twitches in annoyance. _

_Kaguya Charges out from a portal behind Naruto lashing out with her blade to slash him in the back. With no time to react Naruto uses one of his chakra orbs to create a barrier between him and Kaguya. The strike cause a small explosion sending Naruto flying to the ground face first. _

_(WHAM!)… _

"…_yep….really starting to hate this bitch…" Naruto coughs while spitting up sand. _

_**(MIND) "Naruto…can you still transfer chakra like you did with the army? Asks Gyuki**__. (8 tails) _

_(MIND) "Uhhhhhhhhh ... well ya...Why?" asks Naruto with an eye brow raised while deflecting another blade from Kaguya._

_Naruto dashes forward weaving between oncoming projectiles as he flicks his hands together "Kagebunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto summons 3 clones 2 float in front of the original to defend while the third helps prepare a rasengan._

"_Sasuke watch my back!" Naruto yells over his shoulder._

"_Hnn" Sasuke retorts._

_**(MIND) "Can you transfer chakra to non-living objects, and most importantly… can you use another person's chakra?" asks Gyuki growing serious.**_

"_RASENGAN!" Naruto makes contact with Kaguya but it has little effect and Naruto is sent flying back hitting a dune of sand._

_**(CRASH!)**__ Sand fly's in the air._

_Naruto crawls out of the new crater dusting himself off and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. _

_(MIND) "I have no idea! I'm doing my best just too double task here and you're asking questions that I can't possibly answer!" Scream's Naruto. _

_**(MIND) "Yes we can but it requires full cooperation with whoevers chakra we are using, but there's a catch in which the chakra donor losses all of their chakra as well as we lose ours. We can give chakra to whatever amount is needed to whoever, but taking chakra is in all in or out endeavor." Karuma Informs. **_

_**(BOOM!) **__An explosion__from Sasuke's chidori and Kaguya's chakra enforced blades connecting sends Sasuke slamming into Naruto causing both to be thrown to the ground. Kaguya is also sent flying back but disappears by going into a portal. _

"_GAH! Dammit Sasuke I'm trying to strategize here!" Naruto Yells. Jumping to his feet growing disk sized white chibi eyes and growing red with frustration._

"_For the second time dobe you couldn't come up with a good strategy if it bit you on the ass!" Sasuke yells back jumping to his feet with equal enthusiasm. _

"_GRRR just shut up Sasuke Gyuki has a plan and he needs your help but I'll let him tell the rest." Naruto says while he mind swaps with Gyuki._

_Naruto's eyes become the white orbs of Gyuki._

"_Wait, what?" Sasuke asks._

"_**Sasuke this is Gyuki the 8 tails." "I need to use your lightning affinity for an all-out last ditch effort to seal Kaguya." **_

"_What do you have in mind?" asks Sasuke raising an eyebrow. _

"_**A large scale chakra flash bang." Sates Kaguya **_

"_I see... to deal with that annoying byakugan of hers." Sasuke say's while smiling "I like it … but how will we accomplish this?"_

"_**With Naruto's ability to transfer chakra he will send all of his chakra throughout the battle field. With the sand and dust in this area being used as a container to hold the chakra from disappearing it also acts as a reluctant. When you use your chidori it will blend with Naruto's chakra and the sand creating a massive flash bang blocking out her eyes for a brief amount of time. Based on how she froze up with Naruto's sexy jutsu she should do the same again giving you two a window to get your yin and yang powers on her and finish this fight…. But there's a catch." Says Gyuki.**_

"_What kind of catch?" Asks Sasuke. _

"_**Since we will not be giving you chakra like usual but taking it we can't regulate the flow as affective so we need to take a lot… all of it. Naruto will have to mold and keep it in balance using up his reserves as well. Thus this is why this is a make or break it plan." Gyuki informs while growing cautious.**_

"_Hnn… all of it huh?" "Very well the plan might just work but once she's flashed how do we keep her from slipping into another portal?" asks Sasuke._

_Naruto's eyes change once again to the black and gold diamond eyes of Shukaku (1 tail)._

"_**You just leave that to me nothing a Sinking Mud Floor Jutsu can't handle to keep the pesky human from running fufufu." Say's Shukaku with a hint of a laugh.**_

"_Alright then just give the cue when it's all ready and we will end this." Say's a determined Sasuke._

_Naruto returns to his Sage /Kyubi cross eyes (Normal Eyes) _

"_Naruto grows a huge fox grin across his face. You know Sasuke with this plan I see that we still make a good team!" Naruto Boasts._

"_Just shut up dobe (dead last) and get ready here she comes." Sasuke informs focusing his eyes upon the black portal forming in front of them. _

_Kaguya steps out with a half-smile on her face. She draws 2 more blades focusing her byakugan. _

"_I believe play time is over my children. I'm sorry it has to end in blood." Kaguya whispers while beginning to walk towards Naruto and Sasuke. _

"_Naruto get to it I will hold her off until then." Sasuke focuses his rinnegan and sharingan eyes on Kaguya._

"_Right!"Naruto say's while he drops to one knee closing his eyes in focus slamming his hands into the earth pushing and flowing chakra into every grain of sand and dust in the area. _

_(MIND) "That's a lot of chakra he's wasting what do you have in mind boy?" Kaguya thinks while narrowing her eyes at Naruto. _

"_Hey eyes over here wench your my opponent" Sasuke says dashing forward. _

_Sasuke picks up one of the discarded blades from Kaguya and continues to run forward throwing the blade with blinding speed. Kaguya jumps into the air causing the blade to fly underneath her. She feels a presence above her and looks up to see Sasuke flying through hand signs as she begins to fall back to earth. _

"_Fire Style: Giant Fireball Jutsu!" yells Sasuke placing his fingers in the shape of a C to his lips. _

_The fire ball crashes to the earth creating a burnt hole in the ground where Kaguya had landed. Sasuke flips in the air landing just outside the crater. Sasuke leans over the side looking into the hole searching for life. A large portal opens above Sasuke sending Kaguya with a blade extended in front of her extended arm at Sasuke's head. Sasuke twists out of the way as Kaguya hits the ground, Sasuke twirling through the air lands on his hands and flips to his feet. _

_Sasuke again go's through hand signs at blinding speed. _

"_Lightning style: Electric Bullet!" Sasuke raises his Left hand and points his pointer and index fingers at Kaguya in the shape of a pistol. _

"_Eat this!" Sasuke yells just as multiple bullets made of lighting shoot out of Sasuke's fingers flying at Kaguya. _

_Kaguya steps almost in a dance in-between each of Sasuke's shots until she is within a couple feet of Sasuke. Raising her blade she cuts through Sasuke's final bullet slicing a deep gash down his left hand to the tip of his elbow._

"_GRAWWWH!" Sasuke yells in pain jumping backwards from another strike from Kaguya missing his neck by an inch. _

_Sasuke hits the ground tumbling head over heels until he skids on his back cradling his now crippled arm that begins to coat his grey shirt in blood. _

"_Let's see you use your annoying jutsu now." Kaguya sneers growing a look of satisfaction. "It won't be long now before you, your friend over there and everyone else in this ninja world are annihilated. Forever bringing peace like I tried to accomplish so many years ago."_

_Sasuke rolls onto his feet letting his left arm hang at his side dripping small droplets of blood to the desert floor._

"_Can it woman you underestimate the power of an Uchiha!" Sasuke growls with his sharingan and rinnegan eyes growing deeper in color. _

_(Mind) "However." Sasuke thinks while turning his head to his left to gaze over his shoulder at the now clearly tiring Naruto._

"_Pant...Pant." Naruto exhales while sweat drips from his forehead down to his chin creating a small puddle on the floor between his hands still connected with the earth._

_(Mind) "I wouldn't mind if he would hurry up! Sasuke growls "I've got little chakra as it is and now with my arm like this I can only handle one last chidori." Sasuke thinks to himself "hnn… I guess this really is the final gamble of this battle."_

"_I don't know why you are looking at him boy, when you've already said that your opponent is me." Kaguya says getting a wide grin across her face._

_Sasuke turns to face Kaguya again growing a sly smile_

"_Hnn…" Sasuke grunts beginning to walk towards Kaguya with his left arm still dangling at his side. _

"_If you wanted to die sooner wench… all you had to do was ask." Sasuke say's almost in a snickering tone. _

_Naruto begins to stand from behind Sasuke barely able to hold up his own weight with trembling knees and raged breath._

"_Wait… (Pant)…Sasuke… (Pant)…It's ready… and I've left myself… (Pant) just enough chakra to finish this." Naruto says while raising his hands to the familiar cross hand sign._

"_KAGEBUNSHIN NO JUTSU" Naruto says while a single clone pops to life just to the left of the original Naruto. The clone's eyes were black with gold diamond irises signifying that Shukaku was in control of the clone._

"_**Uchiha … are you ready?" **__Shukaku asks while beginning to walk towards Sasuke's side._

_Sasuke nods towards Shukaku and then looks over to Naruto who has now joined Sasuke on the other side of Shukaku losing his Gold Demon Fox Cloak from chakra loss. Losing his smile Sasuke grows a more serious look of determination._

"_Do it." Sasuke says while turning back towards Kaguya_

"_RIGHT!" __**"RIGHT!" **__Shukaku Clone and Naruto say in unison._

_The final Plan of the 4__th__ great ninja war was put into action._

_Naruto Jumps into the air Pulling out a Kunai with an explosive tag tied at the end and hurling it at Kaguya._

"_Simple minded tactics boys" Kaguya says jumping back just as the Kunai and tag pop to reveal another Naruto jumping from the cloud of smoke. _

_(MIND) "WHAT!?" Kaguya yells internally _

"_A clone transformation!?" Kaguya screams Just as the clone transformation Naruto drives his fist into her face sending her flying. _

"_Sometimes the best plans are the simplest bitch!" Naruto cheers as he lands on the ground from his leap dispersing his clone at the same time. _

"_SKUKAKU! NOW!" yells Naruto _

"_EARTH STYLE: GREAT MUD SLIDE JUTSU!" The Naruto/Shukaku clone yells while slamming his hand almost like a summoning jutsu onto the ground. _

_Just as Kaguya was about to hit the ground from Naruto's Punch a Mud like swamp appears underneath her causing her to splash into the jutsu full force._

"_THIS CHEAP TRICK WONT HOLD ME!" Kaguya yells fighting to free her arms and legs from the jutsu. _

"_**UCHIHA! NOW!" **__Shukaku clone yells just as it poofs away from chakra exhaustion._

_Sasuke builds a chidori in his non dominant right hand and drives it into the earth._

"_CHIDORI!"_

_Sasuke feels his chakra pulled from him and molding with Naruto's Chakra. Causing sand and dust to begin to rise into the air from the electrical shock from the jutsu. Naruto and Sasuke cover both of their eyes just as the world was filled with a blinding heavy chakra nuclear flash covering miles. _

"_GUWAHHHH!" Kaguya Screams clawing at her now blinded eyes with her now only free hand wincing and squinting in pain from the blast._

_Sasuke and Naruto jump into action and land on each side of the downed Kaguya._

"_SEAL!" "SEAL!" Both Naruto and Sasuke shout slamming their yin and yang hands onto Kaguya's shoulders. Sasuke winces in pain from the impact and strain on his injured arm. Then a low dim light but quickly growing in size shines from both Sasuke's and Naruto's seals causing both to step backwards to shield their eyes. _

"_I think it wo-!" Naruto was cut off as 2 large angels standing 12 feet tall, one shrouded in light and glowing a hue of a beautiful platinum gold. While the other was shrouded in darkness glowing with a purple like light encircling the dark angel burst from the seal marks causing Sasuke and Naruto to tumble backwards. _

_The angels encircle Kaguya spreading their arms in the shape of a cross. _

"_Get away from me!" Kaguya Screams horror growing in her eyes as she starts to break free from her Mud prison. _

_Just as Kaguya was going to break free the two angels swing their arms and hands together from their previous out stretched position creating a loud clap causing a beam of light to shoot from the ground covering Kaguya. _

"_**SEALING ART: HEAVINLY PRISON"**__ both angels say weaving their fingers together into their still clasped hands. _

"_**Lock"**__ both angels say as the light floats Kaguya up causing her to hover a couple feet in the air._

_Kaguya twirls and spins in the air trying her damned best to get away, even trying to open her portals to flee to another dimension. They were quickly dispelled though by the light surrounding her. _

"_I will not lose!" Kaguya hollers growing a devilish like face and growing red Byakugan eyes. _

"_I am the god of this world!" the light around Kaguya begins to turn from its original Gold to a dark black._

"_**SEAL**__!" the angels say. _

_In a matter of seconds the black light Kaguya began to compress and shrink crushing Kaguya. Smaller and smaller she became. The cracking of her bones and the contortion of her body almost made Naruto wince in disgust….almost._

"_GWUUUUUAHHHHHH!" Kaguya hollers in pain as she was the size of a basketball as she continued to be crushed and shrunk._

_Until finally she was the size of a marble. The marble then shimmered and glowed into what what appeared to be stone, and with the kanji for Sealing appearing on the outside of the marble, it fell to the ground with a light tap and bounce on the desert floor. _

"_**SEAL COMPLETE"**__ the angels say now bursting into a bright light disappearing from sight leaving a glittering dust in the air._

"_Well…DAMN!" Naruto says with wide eyes at the gruesome sealing. "That was ….. BAD ASS!" _

_Sasuke was at a loss for words at the moment choosing to just fall to his back exhaustion finally catching up with him. Naruto looked at him and smiled and fell face first onto the floor also allowing his tired body to finally give in to the need for rest._

"_Told you I can come up with a plan" Naruto said in a very tired voice lifting his head to look over at Sasuke. _

"_Wasn't even your strategy you idiot." Sasuke said with droopy eyes trying to stay conches._

"_Ya, whatever…. We won though HEHE!" Naruto says sitting up and looking around at the vast desert land while his hair blows slowly in the warm breeze._

"_Uhhhhhhhhhhh… Sasuke?" asks Naruto looking at him with a curious look._

"_For gods sakes what!? I'm trying to rest!" Sasuke asks clearly irritated._

"…_..How do we get home?" Naruto asks raising an eye brow._

_Sasuke opens his closed eyes and stares at the sky with a lazy look more suited for Shikimaru._

"…_Fuck…." Sasuke whispers with a chibbi sweat drop appearing on both Naruto and Sasuke's head's. _

_Naruto and Sasuke where interrupted as the ground began to shake very violently creating deep trenches and cracks into the earth. Sand poured like waterfalls into the new cracks causing Sasuke and Naruto to start to slide with the flow._

"_WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" Naruto screams over the roar of the shaking ground!? _

_Naruto and Sasuke jump to their feet fleeing to an open area where no gashes in the land have formed yet. The stone marble sealing Kaguya flows with the sand and falls down into the seemingly bottomless gorge._

"_The dimension must be collapsing in on its self now that Kaguya is unable to hold it together!" Sasuke says falling to his knee gasping for air still exhausted. _

"_Dammit our bodies can't take this were out of gas" says Sasuke as he begins to stand. _

_Naruto and Sasuke barely miss being sucked into a new formed Crater by jumping into the air and landing on a sand dune tumbling and sliding to the bottom gasping for air. _

"_We can't keep this up... (Pant) where do we... (Pant) even run to… (Pant) There's nowhere to go!? Asks Naruto trying his best to catch his breath. _

_Lighting and storm clouds clash in the sky causing loud booms of thunder to ring out. Lightning strikes the land over and over creating fires upon the sand. The wind has turned violent and the rain comes down sideways stinging the skin with its impact. _

"_Damn I guess it really is destroying itself." Says Naruto In a somber tone just sitting and watching the havoc. "I always pictured what the end of the world would be like…but I never imagined this."_

_Naruto rolls to his side to avoid a lightning strike, landing on his back he stares into the down pour of rain and hail. _

"_To think I would die here of all places." Sasuke says deactivating his sharingan._

"_WHAT!?" Naruto shouts jumping to his feet and flailing his arms about. "We can't die here! I still have to become hokage and change the world! and what about you? You said you were going to become hokage and change the current ninja way!"_

_Sasuke stands and looks at Naruto in a very somber almost regretful look in his eyes. "Naruto make me a promise."_

_Naruto looks at Sasuke with a raised brow _

"_UHHH sure?" say's Naruto _

"_Promise me that you will become hokage….and you will keep what happened to the Uchiha from happening to any other family. Promise me you will change this world and make it a better place so young kids don't follow the path I did. Keep those kids safe and help them find the light… promise me this Naruto. _

_Naruto has a very serious look and brings his curled fist to rest over his chest and trashed jacket above his heart. _

"_I promise Sasuke on my ninja way." Naruto says closing his eyes and bowing his head in acceptance of the promise. Naruto looks back up with another questioning look._

"_Why the promise though Sasuke? You act like you aren't going to make it out of here." Naruto says while squinting his face into a forced foxy smile, beginning to dread what Sasuke is implying. _

"_Naruto we are both low on chakra… there's not a lot left you nor I can do…but… I might have just enough to create a portal with my rinnegan." Sasuke forces the last remaining chakra to his eye activating his rinnegan. Blood flows from the eye down his face and drips from his chin. _

"_I have just enough but it will be a small portal." Says Sasuke turning and smiling a sad look at Naruto. _

"_That's great!" shouts Naruto jumping and waving his arms in joy. "Do it and let's get out of here! Hehe! See and you thought we were going to die!" _

_The sky cracks as the dimension is at its last couple seconds. Wind howls in the air as rain, snow, hail, and sand fly at hurricane speeds. The ground shakes and shatters around the two men leaving the world in a hell like state._

_Sasuke Flicks his rinnegan to life and focusses on the now forming portal._

"_There's a catch though Naruto." Sasuke says letting a sad smile rest on his face._

"_Huh?" asks Naruto turning his attention away from the portal to Sasuke._

"_With my chakra and the little practice I have at this..." Sasuke says jumping and pushing Naruto off of his feat._

"_There's only room for one…to pass through" as Sasuke shoves Naruto through the new formed portal that began shaking and flexing at the lack of chakra keeping to together. _

_The world turned into slow motion in Naruto's eyes as he fell through the portal. The rain stood still in the air, the dust stopped moving and the ground stopped shaking. All Naruto saw was Sasuke's face as he landed on the other side of the portal, and watched as the world on the other side of the opening faded with the closing portal Sasuke's face wobbled and distorted._

"_Hn… I never said WE were going to die… I said I WAS…dobe"… Sasuke whispered… and with that the portal closed….Sasuke…was gone. _

_Naruto laid across the floor of the old battle field in the real world starring at where the portal used to be. His eyes were wide and his breath was slow and shallow. He couldn't begin to understand what just happened. _

"_Sa….Sasuke." Naruto whispers to no one continuing to stare into nothingness. Silent tears run down his face dripping to the floor as Naruto climes to his knees sitting in a kneeling position._

"_Sasuke." Naruto said again his voice growing louder. _

_Naruto crushes his eyes shut and flings his head backwards toward the heavens above screaming as loud as his voice could allow _

"_SASUKE!"…._

_Naruto let his head fall back towards the earth and stare at the ground between his knees as the tears flowed. Naruto did not hear the tree of life begin to crumble and fall to the earth, which allowed his friends to be free from their dream world. He did not hear them charge towards him screaming his name in victory and in joy knowing the battle and war was over. Naruto did not hear how the thousands crowded around him cheering and chanting his name._

_Naruto did notice though the lone figures of his friends Sakura, Sai, Kakashi, Team 10, Team 8, and squad Guy come close to him. None of them were cheering seeing the way Naruto was acting currently. Naruto notice's someone had kneeled right in front of him, but did not bother to lift his head and look. He knew who it was. She asked a question. Naruto knew what she had asked but did not hear it._

_Because to Naruto…all he could hear was silence. _

"…_..Naruto? …..What's wrong? ... wh…where's Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered as she to …began to cry. _

_(End Flashback) _

_END CHAPTER 1_


	2. Chapter 2 Is That You?

(AN: hope you enjoy and don't be afraid to leave constructive reviews which means don't be rude. It really does help! I'm trying to make this story the best I possibly can. Also I'm going to put small bits of modern technology in the Naruto universe but nothing huge. Just Mp3 players and cell phones but no cars or planes. I also hope you don't hugely cling to proper sentence structure…because you're probably going to hate me haha! Let me know if I missed a misplaced or miss spelled word any where! I am human after all. Anyways on with the story!)

Chapter 2 Is that you!?

It's 12 o'clock in the afternoon during a beautiful day in Konoha. The sun is shining with birds chirping as they fly in the sky. There is a cooling breeze in the air keeping the day pleasant. Shop keepers and customers are making commotion in the streets with laughter and casual talk. These sounds are heard through the window of Apartment 4A. A very new apartment with the reconstruction of the Hidden Leaf village. Though this apartment In particular did not smell new as it was filled with trash of ramen cups and soda cans littering the floor.

There is a stereo on a dresser playing music off of an mp3 connected to two large speakers. Cloths pile out of the drawers in the dresser showing that the owner did not fold his cloths. The plants in the corners of the 4 wall room have long been dead from lack of water. In the left corner next to the window lays a bed miss kept and tattered. A young man lies in this bed listening to the commotion outside while waiting for the next song to pop on from his Mp3. His hands where behind his head as he rested on his back. The crumpled sheets of his bed used as a foot rest. He is dressed in a black muscle shirt and tan cargo shorts. His hair wild more resembling his fathers after keeping it uncut for so long.

The stereo hisses to life as the next song begins to play.

_(Song)_

_Do you ever feel like breaking down?_

_Do you ever feel out of place?_

_Like somehow you just don't belong _

_And no one understands you…._

Naruto's eyes flicker open into half slits as he stares at the roof. His fan twirling slowly above him keeping him cool. Naruto turns his head while still on his pillow to stare at the midsize stereo.

"Simple plan huh?" Naruto grumbles from his half asleep state.

Naruto rolls up from his laying position to sit on the side of his bed staring out the window at the birds flying high. The song continues to play in the background.

_Do you ever wanna run away?_

_Do you lock yourself in your room?_

Naruto gets up off his bed slowly as his joints pop and creek with the movement. He lazily steps through the trash littered floor to his dresser. Almost falling twice from a missed placed can of soda and ramen cup. Naruto picks up his Mp3 and clicks the pause button.

_With the radio on turned up so loud that no one hears your screami-… _(Pause)

"(Sigh)… not even I want to listen to that right now." Naruto says in a grumbling whisper to himself as he tosses the device back onto the dresser.

Naruto walks with a lazy sway to his step to the bathroom in the far right hand corner of his room near the hallway door. Naruto pushes the door open as it creeks from the unoiled hinges. Naruto flinches from the noise and shivers.

"God I hate that freaking sound!" Naruto says more loudly then needed as he walks to the sink looking at himself in the mirror.

Sighing Naruto pulls out his toothbrush from a cup next to his sink and runs it under water as he yawns and rubs his eye. Naruto grabs his toothpaste squeezing it onto the brush and placing it into his mouth as he lazily looks at himself in the mirror with half open eyes. He brushes his teeth while his thoughts wonder elsewhere.

(Mind) "It's been 6 months and 2 weeks tomorrow ….since that day." Naruto thinks continuing to brush his teeth.

(Mind) "…I wonder what everyone's been up to... Do they miss me at all...?" Naruto wonders

Naruto's friends stopped banging on his door and blowing up his phone after about the second month of his new hermit life style. Choosing to let him be for now, while hoping he comes around soon. He hadn't heard from anyone since then. Even then he never communicated back. Just looking at the texts and missed calls letting the chime of his phone go unanswered. Listening to the yelling through the door of his friends try to get him to come out… but never saying anything back.

(Mind) "Maybe it's about time I ran to the store for this week's groceries… I am starting to run low on ramen." Naruto thinks swishing the brush in his mouth,

(Mind)" Maybe I should get some fresh air… maybe take a walk around town. It's been three weeks since I last left my apartment. Even then I was gone for like 15 minutes while I got food from the 24 hour market." Naruto thinks pulling the brush from his foaming mouth.

(Spit)

"Ya…. A walk doesn't sound too bad!" Naruto says growing a small smile. One so small you would miss it if you weren't looking for it… but it was there.

Naruto washes his brush and walks out of the bathroom over to his dresser. Pulling the top drawer open allowing two shirts to hit the floor. Naruto picks up a gray zip up jacket with a thick hood. Throwing It on over his muscle shirt Naruto grabs his Mp3 and in ear head phones heading to the front door.

Grabbing his shoes and slipping them on clicking the buttons in place to secure them to his feet. Naruto turns to the counter at the front door grabbing his keys and the medium sized Frog wallet holding the last of Naruto's savings.

(Sigh) "Almost out of cash eh bud?" Naruto asks the wallet as he bounces it in his hand feeling the weight. "Guess I'll need to …." Naruto stops, growing a sad look in his eyes as images of his friends and fellow ninja flash through his eyes. "Start doing missions again."

Naruto throws the wallet into his Cargo shorts pocket also picking his phone up and placing it in the opposite pocket with his keys. Naruto steps out the front door locking it. Turning to face the somewhat crowded street with kids and villagers walking and jogging to get to their destinations.

Naruto flicks the hood of his jacket over his head concealing his eyes. Then places his ear phones in his ears turning his music on as he begins to walk in the direction of the market. Placing his hands into the pockets of his jacket keeping his gaze at the ground.

(Mind) "What all do I need from the market?" Naruto thinks as he weaves in and out of the traffic of people at a casual pace. "The village looks well… coming along nicely almost completely rebuilt."

Naruto rambles in his thoughts never answering questions he asks himself jumping from topic to topic. He continues to ramble in his thoughts not realizing he had passed the right hand turn to get to the market some time ago. Coupled with the music and his wondering thoughts. Naruto was in his own little world. Walking to where ever his body took him.

Naruto does not realize he has wandered into the large shopping and merchant district of Konoha. Continuing to weave through the growing crowd of people in the street Naruto leans his head to the side in thought.

(Mind) "I should tell Baa-Chan to reinstate me into active duty… but…am I ready for that… will I ever be? Even if I choose to go see Baa-Chan that's a conversation I'm not looking forward to." Naruto says sighing out loud. "All the questions she's going to ask and the fact she will probably tell my friends to keep an eye on me at all times just so I don't try something stupid…..ughh."

(Mind) "I don't want to face any of them yet anyways….im not ready…what the hell am I supposed to say to them?" Naruto huffs

(Mind) "Thanks for letting your family, friends, and loved ones die to protect me in the war guys! We are still cool though right!?" Naruto asks himself sarcastically.

(Mind) "Then there's…Sakura-Chan." Naruto lowers his head even further continuing to walk staring at his feet.

Sakura had been one of the first people to reach out to Naruto after the war. Trying to show she didn't hate Naruto for what happened. Though Naruto would never believe her shouts through the door. Eventually just like the rest of the rookie 7 (excluding Naruto and Sasuke) and the rest of team guy… she gave in. hoping he would seek her out in time.

The last contact he had with Sakura was a text message after one of her yelling fits at Naruto's front door to let her in. all it said was…

**(Text) "When you're ready… come see me Naruto…We need to talk."**

That was four months ago. What did she expect him to say to her? What…could he say? Naruto's mood had just taken a swing for the worst and was thinking of turning to go home. His thoughts were interrupted though as he ran into someone in the side of the street he was walking.

(THUMP!)

"Oof... Hey watch it! A woman said picking up her dropped bags of cloths.

"Oh I'm sorry ma'am… I'll be more careful." Naruto said quietly barely hearing the woman's complaint through his ear phones. Choosing not to lift his head and see who the woman was.

Naruto starts to walk away, but before he can the woman grabs his wrist. Flinging him around to look at her. Naruto looks up as one of his earphones falls out enabling him to hear her berating full on.

Naruto's eyes grow wide with fear as he recognizes the Young Woman.

"Don't you walk away from me! You can't just run into someone like that and ju….." The woman stopped talking dead in her tracks and slightly loosened the death grip on Naruto's wrist.

"Na….Naruto?" The woman asks her voice growing soft.

"I….Ino." Naruto whispers taking a step back in shock.

Ino is wearing an orange form fitting shirt with a purple flower emblem located over her left breast. She has black plain leggings with black casual flip flops. Her hair was tied in her usual pony tail with her right eye being covered by her bangs. At her feet where multiple bags from her recent shopping trip.

(Mind) "NONONONONONONONO NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto was mentally screaming at himself. "WHY!? I SAID I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE ANYONE AND EVEN IF I DID….WHY!? OH HOLY HELL WHY!? WAS IT INO! SHE LOST HER FATHER AND HER LOVE SASUKE BECAUSE OF ME!"

(Mind) "Oh god she probably hates me! I have to get out of here!" Naruto thinks.

Naruto starts to panic and try's to back away forgetting Ino still had a firm grip on his wrist.

"NARUTO IT IS YOU!" Ino shouts growing a huge grin across her face. "You're finally out of your damn apartment!? It's so good to see you!" as Ino drags Naruto into a huge bear hug surprising Naruto with how much force was behind it.

"Wait, what?" Naruto asks out loud still in the vice grip hug from Ino.

Ino lets go of Naruto allowing him to back away and stare at her wide eyed and confused.

"You…..don't hate me?" Naruto whispers barely even audible to Ino.

Ino's smile turns into a small pout of concern as she raises her eye brow in confusion at Naruto.

"Wh….why would you think I hate you?" Ino asks as her eyes grow wide in understanding "Wait… is this why you've been locked up in your house?...because you think we all ha-..," Ino was cut off by Naruto.

"Never mind…..just forget it." Says Naruto throwing his hands in his pockets and beginning to walk away seeing an opening to leave.

Once again though he is grabbed by Ino and flipped around to look at her as she speaks.

"Where the hell do you think you're going!?" Ino growls Getting frustrated with his constant attempts to leave. "I see you for the first time in forever and you think you can just leave!?"

(Mind) "Yes that's exactly what I expect to do" Naruto thinks

"N…No Ino I'm sorry I was just going to the super…" Naruto starts to say as he looks around and finally realizes he is in the clothing shop district located 2 miles away from the produce stores. "…..Market."

(Mind) "Sigh…..great." Naruto thinks in a - I'm such a freaking idiot tone of voice.

"Uhuh….sure….listen Naruto if you're going to lie just to get away from me at least make it believable!" Ino says feeling offended.

Naruto waves his hands in front of his chest in a wish wash motion.

"Nonono I really was going to the store to get food!" Naruto explains turning to look at the shops around him. "I guess I got lost in my own thoughts again."

Ino rolls her eyes at Naruto crossing her arms over her chest as he explained himself.

"Whatever…Idiot….and why the hell are you wearing a damn jacket anyway! It's hot as hell out today!?" Ino shouts as she grabs the top of Naruto's hood and flings it off from over his head. Ino Pauses as she finally gets a good look at Naruto in the day light.

His eyes were not the bright blue sapphires they usually were. They were dull and almost matt with lack of reflection. They showed deep pain and sadness…something she was not used to seeing. Under his eyes were dark circles showing just how little sleep he had gotten over the last couple months. His face was pale and dry from being inside for so long. His golden hair was even more messy then usual if that was even possible. Its golden sun color was dull… more of a bronze then it ever should look, almost like it was dirty…but it wasn't. His posture was slouched and showed no pride like the Naruto she knew always had. He looked….beaten. She hardly recognized this person before her.

(Mind) "Oh…..Naruto…..you look horrible." Ino thought in a deeply saddened tone letting her eyes soften into a caring and concerned look. "I have an idea!" she thinks.

"Well…that was rude… but whatever! I'm sure you're very busy so I'll leave you to your shop_" Naruto was interrupted.

"Hey Naruto are you Hungry!?" Ino says giving a bright smile that was scarily similar to Naruto's Foxy one. Though that smile was extremely rare to see from Naruto… maybe even completely extinct.

(Mind) "Oh no!" Naruto thinks realizing where she's going with this. "Abort mission Uzumaki, ABORT MISSION!" Naruto yells internally not wanting to have any more social interaction then what has already occurred.

"Sorry Ino I'm not, I just ate earlier!" Naruto says squinting his eyes shut while growing a sad fake smile hoping his bluff works.

(GRUMBL) (GRUMBLE)

Naruto quickly looks down at his stomach in disgust.

(Mind) "I fucking hate you stomach!" Naruto thinks bitterly, while his eyes narrow in anger.

"Naruto…" Ino says sweetly causing Naruto to look up from his belly. "What did I just say about lying to me?" as her left eye twitches with concealed anger.

"Uhhhhhhhhh… my bad" Naruto says growing scared from the small killing intent radiating from the blond female.

Ino grabs Naruto by the front of his jacket while the other hand grabs her bags as she begins to pull Naruto towards the exit of the shopping district.

"Now you HAVE to come eat lunch with me for being such an ass!" Ino says not bothering to look back at the man dragging behind her.

"But….But Ino!" Naruto tries to argue digging his heels into the ground to stop their pace but with no avail.

(Mind)** "No… she got you there kid….you are an ass." **Kurama says while snickering to himself

(Mind) "Shut Up Kurama!" Naruto says very quickly twitching in annoyance.

"But what Uzumaki!?" Ino asks in an icy cold town throwing a glare over her shoulder that would have full grown men shaking in their boots.

"Nothing!" Naruto squeaks out in a high pitched voice putting his hands up in defense while shivering in fear.

"Good Boy! Now come along and STOP DRAGGING YOUR HEALS!" Ino yells returning to looking ahead to where they were traveling.

(Mind) "Whimper" Naruto groans. "There's no getting out of this is there?" Naruto asks himself in a comedic crying tone. While he gives up on resisting and allowing Ino to pull him through the Village.

(Mind) "Why do you hate me god?" Naruto asks himself while looking up at the sky.

(Mind)** "Because you killed her remember." **Kurama says full on laughing at this point.

(Mind) "For…The … LOVE OF GOD SHUT UP KURAMA!" Naruto shouts. Full on flailing mentally in anger.

Kurama Try's his best to muffle his laugh as well as the other 8 demons.

(Mind) **"No Comment." **says Kurama as he and the rest of the demons burst into laughter.

(Mind) "I hate all of you…" Naruto whispers looking down in defeat.

(10 Minutes Later, 2:04 PM, Konoha East Side)

"This….this is…" Naruto says staring with wide eyes at the restaurant Ino had picked for them to eat at.

"Ichiraku Ramen! Your favorite or so I've heard." Ino says standing beside the shocked Naruto. Ino leans forward so her face is in Naruto's peripheral vision. Naruto turns to look at Ino with wide yet still dull eyes.

It had been close to a year since Naruto had last ate at his favorite restaurant. The last time being just before he left on the B.S. mission before the War to keep him "safe" or whatever. After his return he just couldn't find it in him to go out to eat and talk to people. Alone was more of his style lately.

"Well come on scatter brains let's get some food I haven't eaten all day!" Says Ino marching towards the stand, but stopping when Naruto doesn't fallow. "It's my treeeaaat." Ino states over her shoulder in a cute tone rolling the last word for emphasis.

"O….Ok…" Naruto says slowly fallowing Ino to the stand.

Ino flips the flaps at the front of the stand aside allowing her and Naruto to enter. Ino places her bags next to one of the stools sitting down and patting the stool next to hear giving Naruto a small smile. Naruto sits in the stool and places his elbows on the counter leaning forward as he looks at the new menu. They were the only ones in the restaurant and it was nice Naruto felt not having to deal with unwanted interactions. Naruto then notices a new flavor on the menu that takes him by surprise.

"Blazing Angel Ramen?" Naruto asks out loud in a tiered sounding tone.

Ayame the shop keeper's daughter turns from her work to answer Naruto.

"It's our new special rame-" Ayame stops recognizing the face. "NARUTO-SAN!"

Naruto mentally sighs growing tired of having to fake being in the mental state to talk to his friends.

"Hi….Ayame." Naruto whispers tiredly throwing on a fake smile for her and Ino's sake.

Ayame notices how Naruto looks terrible but chooses not to mention it seeing how sad Naruto seemed. Seeing past his terrible excuse of a smile. Ayame puts on a sad smile herself, seeing the ever bright Naruto look so…. Down was... unnatural.

"It's been way to long Naruto…I'm sorry father is not here he would have loved to see you after so long.

Naruto wouldn't admit it but he was grateful the old man was gone for the day. The less people he had to interact with on this trip he was dragged on the better his chances of making it out of this without his half assed mask he put up from cracking. Causing him to breaking down in front of them.

"I'm sorry to Ayame…maybe next time." Naruto says in a soft voice keeping his fake smile in place trying to keep the sadness from his voice.

Ayame glances to Ino as they share a brief moment of understanding that they needed to tip toe around Naruto emotionally. Turning back to Naruto Ayame grows a bright smile.

"Well to answer your question Naruto-San the Blazing Angel ramen is a tribute ramen to…well… you!" Ayame says pointing at Naruto poking him in the chest from over the counter. "It's our way of saying thank you for all that you've done."

"But why….call it blazing angel?" Naruto asks raising an eyebrow still keeping his slumped posture on the counter.

"It's your nick name!" Ino chooses to jump in and answer.

Ino turns to her purse rumbling through it mumbling about how messy it was. Finding what she was looking for with a joyous Aha! She pulls it out and shoves it into Naruto's Face.

"See!" Ino says as Naruto grabs the object from Ino.

"The new ninja bingo book?" asks Naruto confused at how this was going to help answer his question.

Ino rolls her eyes at how dense Naruto could be.

"Open it stupid! I believe it was page 204." Ino says pointing to the book.

Naruto opens the book slowly flipping through the new glossy pages until he reaches page 204. What Naruto sees catches him by surprise. His mug shot was on the left hand corner of the page. He reads the title out loud.

"Uzumaki Naruto…A.K.A….Blazing Angel of Konoha…" Naruto reads looking up from the book to stare blankly at Ino blinking in confusion. But instead of asking what was on his mind he returns to reading the info page. "Name earned from the golden chakra cloak of light surrounding him giving off a warm life force and good feelings….rumor says this ninja can also fly and has been touched by pure light."

Naruto skims through the rest of the information provided in the book.

"Height 5'11… weight 175 pounds… eyes blue… hair blond…" Naruto looks up from the book stopping his reading mid page with an open mouth and a glazed look of wonder in his eyes. "They… put me in the bingo book…..and they think I'm an angel?" Naruto asks in disbelief at his new chosen nick name.

"No they don't think you're an angel stupid…they just think you look like one. And if I do say so myself… it fits well with that Golden glowing chakra thing you do." Ino says in a happy tone.

"And we loved the name so much we put it on the menu!" Ayame says giving a thumbs up towards Naruto.

Naruto closes the book and looks at the cover with curious eyes.

"That's …..Cool…I guess." Naruto says handing the book back to Ino and looking up towards Ayame. "I'll have a regular miso ramen though." Naruto says returning to his quite tone of voice.

Ayame and Ino share another glance of understanding that (he really is not his usual self) before Ino also orders.

"I'll have the same please." Ino says trying to stay upbeat after how Naruto blew off his recognition from the ninja community.

Ayame nods turning to begin cooking their meals humming a soft tune as she works.

Ino turns to place the book back into her bag. She returns her attention to Naruto who is staring at the counter top obviously lost in thought. She grows a small grin and grabs his attention with a slight giggle.

"You know Naruto you should be excited! Being put into the bingo book and given a nick name is a huge honor… It means that the ninja world has recognized you for your power and abilities of a ninja." Ino says studying Naruto's face hoping the new information brings some happiness to his features.

"Who cares Ino?" Naruto says bitterly still staring at the counter top. "None of that shit matters anymore."

Ino looks at him in shock not believing what was coming from his mouth.

"What do you mean who cares!? You freaking care!" Ino says growing quieter "d…don't you care?...You love being recognized by people…. To show you're a great ninja."

Choosing not answer her question Naruto narrows his eyes at her turning his vision away from the counter top.

"Why are you even doing this Ino!?" Naruto asks a bit bitterly. "Why drag me to go eat with you when you know damn well I didn't want to come!"

Ino turns her attention away from Naruto and stares at the counter top with soft eyes thinking of how to answer. Smiling while looking at her hands she answers.

"Well….I guess in a way…to thank you." She says turning to look at him with a big smile. "You helped save so many lives in the war and you're always so kind. I thought a thank you was in order." Ino states not realizing she had just pulled a hair trigger in Naruto's mind.

Naruto looks at her with wide eyes. Slowly narrowing his vision at her as his anger builds within him.

"Thank me you say…" Naruto says in a hostile whisper.

Naruto turns so his whole body is facing Ino as he finally erupts. Causing her to freeze in shock.

"HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY THANK ME FOR WHAT HAPPENED OUT THERE!? THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE THEY HAD TO PROTECT ME FROM THAT MAN! HOW CAN YOU SIT HERE WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND EVEN STAND TO BE AROUND ME! YOU LOST YOUR FATHER AND SASUKE BECAUSE THEY HAD TO PROTECT ME BECAUSE IM A JINCHUURIKI! HOW DO YOU NOT HATE ME FOR THAT!?"

Tears begin to stream down Naruto's face as he smashes his eyes shut balling his fists.

"THE FACT THAT MY FRIENDS HAD TO RISK AND GIVE THEIR LIVES OUT THERE BECAUSE I WAS TO WEAK TO HELP THEM MAKES ME SICK! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER! I SHOULD OF STOPED THAT MAN SOONER! NOW I SEE HOW MY LOVED ONES HAVE BEEN HURT AND LOST PARTS OF THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF ME! I CANT SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF IT! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EVEN FIGHT BACK AGAINST THESE FEELINGS! THE WORST PART IS I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I EVER DO GO BACK OUT IN THE FIELD AS A NINJA… IF I COULD TAKE IT! I HATE MYSELF FOR LETTING ALL THOSE PEOPLE DIE! AND YOU SHOULD TO—

(SMACK!)

Naruto's face was turned sideways as the tears on his face were flung to the floor. A hand print on the side of his right cheek. Ino's hand was out stretched as she looks at the floor with shadows keeping Naruto from seeing her eyes. She trembled with what seemed like rage….yet spoke very softly.

"How dare you…" Ino looks up to show she had tears threatening to fall.

"How dare you try and put all of this on yourself Uzumaki! …Yes….My father died…but it wasn't just to protect you! he died protecting everyone he ever cared about!.. He died protecting his way of ninja….he died protecting me… and my mother…our clan…and most importantly…the village. Everyone we lost out there was protecting you…yes…but not because you are a jinchuuriki! They died by your side on the battlefield because you are a comrade…a friend… a loved one….NOT A TOOL THAT NEEDS SAFE KEEPING! They all died protecting what they cared for and held most dear… so don't try and hold all of their death's on your shoulders like a un-moveable god!"

Ino finally lets the tears fall as she continues.

"And Sasuke was no different Naruto! Sasuke had lost everything he had ever loved and cared for in his life… everything except his best friend…you…Naruto. Sasuke gave his life for you that day not because you are a jinchuuriki….but because I honestly think you were the only thing left he gave a damn about. He wasn't going to let his best friend die just like everyone else he cared for had. My Father and Sasuke died believing in you to make this world a better place like you have said so many times you would do… but what do you think they would say now Naruto… seeing you cry and limp around like a wounded dog! What do you think they would say hearing you think of not being a ninja anymore… do you think they would be proud of you? They died Naruto….they are gone… but the way your acting and thinking lately… is making their death be a complete waist…. As of what I see in front of me right now…they didn't die for a hero who was going to change the world… they died for a coward to afraid to pick himself up."

Naruto recoils in shock with wide eyes not knowing how to counter or what to do.

Ino turns towards her purse and pulls out a small picture sliding it across the counter to lay in front of Naruto. It was a picture of the rookie 9 with team Guy back when they were 13. All standing and posing in the Konoha Park enjoying a picnic together. Naruto stares at the picture as Ino places a soft hand on his shoulder saying the last of her speech.

"Don't be a coward anymore Naruto… we all had to find a way to pick up the pieces after losing the ones we love… but none of us did it alone."

Pointing towards the picture Ino softly smiles.

"Let us all help you Naruto…Let us bring back the light in your heart and the fire in your soul we all miss so much. Because we do miss you Naruto… every last one of us mention's you at least once when we see each other… we want you back Naruto…Konoha Needs its stupidly loud but amazingly bright sun once again. Let us all… help you pick up the pieces. So that one day you will carry those we lost in honor… not pity… there are tons of cowards out in the world Naruto…. But don't let one of them be you."

With that Ino picked up the picture Naruto was staring at and placed in back into her purse. Wiping the tears from her eyes and putting on a genuine smile.

(Cough!)

"Y…your food is ready." Ayame says with wide eyes after hearing the conversation. She places the two bowls in front of Ino and Naruto stepping back with caution. Turning she goes back to cleaning the kitchen.

"Yum!" Ino declares grabbing her chopsticks and digging into her meal completely doing a 180 degree turn in her mood. Naruto did not move however lost in thought he barely even noticed the bowl in front of him.

(Mind) "A…Coward…. I have been a coward haven't I?" Asking himself. "Hiding in my room for six months to afraid to even see the people who wanted to help me." As Naruto glances to Ino then Ayame.

(Mind) "I have done little … to even try and keep my promise to you Sasuke… hiding behind walls that I've put up. Out casting myself from the rest of the world… almost throwing all the work I've put in as a ninja away… just to keep the pain bottled up inside… maybe she's right." Naruto says turning to look at Ino out of the corner of his eye.

(Mind) "It's about time I start picking up the pieces of my life! I will no longer be a victim! Naruto thinks while growing an apologetic smile on his face. "I'm sorry Sasuke… from here on out ill carry that promise I made to you right next to my heart and soul. I will not be a coward who lets the sacrifices my friends make go to waste!

Naruto rockets up from his stool making Ino Jump a little bit. Naruto spins on his heals to leave the small stand. Stopping just inside the flaps of the restaurant as Ino's voice catches his attention.

"Where are you going all of the sudden?" Ino asks growing a smile having a feeling she knew the answer.

Naruto keeps his attention forward his head held high. A resemblance to the posture of confidence he usually held himself with before the war.

"It may not be immediate Ino… but you're right in saying that the time to get my life back on track starts now… I will not be a quitter… and I will most definitely not be a coward who lets his friends deaths go in vain. I may be a fraction of the Person I formally was…. But the rebuilding… starts now."

Ino Smiles wide as Naruto says this as she crosses her arms over her chest and folds a leg over the other in a relaxed sitting position.

"You didn't answer my question idiot…where are you going?" Ino says tilting her head to the side in a playful manner.

"Ha-ha…" Naruto gives a soft laugh as he turns to look over his shoulder.

Naruto's eyes held a confidence that seemed misplaces in his still dull eyes. Ino however felt at home so to speak seeing the look on his face once again.

"I'm going to the Hokage office…it's about time I got reinstated!" Naruto says with a small smile. "Oh…and thank you…Ino"

With a grand gesture he turns his attention once again to the opening of the restaurant flinging his arm up to smack the flaps away confidently and with a step forward into the crowded street….he was off.

Ino continues to stare at the opening for a couple of seconds with a smile before spinning on her stool to finish her meal.

Ayame steps forward and leans on the opposite side of the counter in front of Ino.

"You know….he might just come back to us after all." Ayame says looking at the entrance with a wide smile.

"Oh he'll find a way to get back to normal eventually" Ino says taking a bite of her ramen and swallowing. "All he needed was a little push"

Ayame nods turning her attention from the entrance to Ino.

"You know…. You're awfully nice to help the guy get back on his feet." Ayame says growing a mischievous smile. "Do you happen to….like Naruto?" Ayame says leaning forward to get closer to Ino.

"WH…WHAT!?" Ino shouts recoiling in shock. "NO! WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!" Ino says growing a slight pink blush to her cheeks.

Ayame squints her eyes in a knowing look and chuckles under her breath.

"What Ever you say Ino-San." Ayame says in a teasing tone.

"No really! I just have the resources and abilities to help out an old friend!" Ino says with a growing blush. "As a matter of fact… I have another idea to help his progress along even further!" Ino says grabbing the phone from her bag and sliding her thumb over the screen to unlock it.

"Oh!?...and what is that?" Ayame asks curiously leaning over the counter even further to see what was on the screen.

"He-he-he! Oh Ayame…just another friend of Naruto's who needs to get her ass in gear." Ino says while sliding through her contacts. Landing on the one she had in mind. Ino grows a wide grin. "This will definitely help Naruto!" as Ino begins to type a text to the contact.

Ayame sees the name on the upper part of the text message and grows a wide grin as well finally understanding what she meant.

**(Contact Name)**

**(: ~ BFF Sakura H. (Billboard Brow) ~ :)**

END CHAPTER 2


	3. Chapter 3 Am I Ready?

(AN: First off just want to say HOLY SHIT! DID YOU GUYS SEE THE PICS FOR THE NEW NARUTO THE LAST MOVIE! IM TOO EXCITED! Though I don't know if I like Naruto's new outfit… anyways with my story! I know we are already 3 chapters in and the NaruIno has been kind of low but that will change! I plan on this being a pretty good sized story. So everything I want to happen needs to develop so to speak. The NaruIno will pick up though I swear! The action and plot will also get picked up! I wanted all of what's happened so far to be on his first day out of the apartment just to overwhelm Naruto a bit. I Hope you guys are enjoying so far and I look forward to continuing this story. Now ONWARD WIITH THE STORY! - NARU/SAKU FRIENDSHIP IN THIS CHAPTER! ^.^)

(BTW-…still suck at commas.)

Chapter 3 Am I Ready…?

It was a wonderful day for Tsunade thus far. The sun was bringing a warm heat over her through the multiple windows surrounding her office. She was having a very slow day when it came to paper work. As such she was enjoying the relaxing ease she could take in filling out the small piles of paper. Looking up to glance at the clock by her desk that read 2:52 P.M. she looked out over the clock to gaze fondly at her office, she smiles. Her new office as of the rebuilding of the village smelled welcoming. The plants by the entrance to her office and the shelves by the windows holding small fresh flowers. The flowers gave off a sweet scent which helped lift her spirits. Her office was almost twice the size of her old one, which gave her freedom to move around more and feel less cramped.

Shizune was currently out of the office running small errands for herself out in town. This helped lift the weight of the world off Tsunade's shoulders even further. Not having to listen to Shizune bicker about her…so called… slow paper work mentality today. Though with how things have gone over the last few months. It was hard to find Tsunade in a bad mood these days.

With the formation of the Ninja alliance Tusnade's life as Hokage became so much easier. The paper work was cut into a fraction as well as her stress. With the help of the other four great nations in keeping the lands in order. The ninja world was on vacation so to speak. Ninja were still needed through, as even in the most peaceful of times…there was always somebody trying to bring the world crashing down. Thus kept the mission requests coming in at a steady pace to the Hokage's office. Though no longer was it over poring off of her desk like before the war. Life…was…good!

Tsunade set aside a mission report she had just signed taking deep a breath and smiling to herself.

(Mind) "Ahhh…how I love these quite days!" Tsunade thought to herself leaning back in her chair closing her eyes in relaxation. "There is nothing that could POSSIBLY ruin this day!"

(WHAM!)

The side window to the office slings open rattling the window loudly. Making Tsunade jump 5 feet out of her chair in shock. A figure lands just on the inside of the window placing his hands on his hips and shooting his chest out in a hero like pose.

"BAAAAAA-CHAAAAAAAAAN! IM BAC-"

A large heavy scroll pegs the figure smack dab in the middle of his forehead flinging his head backwards. Causing him to fall backwards out of the window and landing flat on his back on the roof outside.

Tusnade pulls her arm back at her side after heaving the scroll. With a red face of embarrassment from being so easily scared, Tsunade starts to shout.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE BARGING IN HER WITHOUT WARNING LIKE THAT!?" Tsunade slams her hands onto her desk making a loud bang and cracking sound.

Tusnade flicks her eye brow upward with a questioning look as she finally catches what the intruder just said.

(Mind) "Wait….did he say….Baa-Chan?" Tsunade thinks as the figure starts to climb back through the window.

Naruto slumps his body over the window and falls face first onto the floor grumbling something about how much that hurt. He slowly lifts himself from the floor catching himself from falling over from the dizziness caused from the head shot. Finally steadying himself on his feet while facing the window he had just entered. He turns his head to the side to look at his attacker. Rubbing his forehead while shooting daggers at Tsunade. Naruto closes the window.

"What the hell was that for?" Naruto shouts not happy at all with his new knot. "Haven't seen me in half a year and you try and clear my head from my shoulders!"

Naruto marches over to the opposite side of her desk while still rubbing his sore head. Clearly not seeing the shock written all over Tsunades face at seeing him finally out of his apartment.

Tsunade continues to stare at Naruto with a wide shock written face not knowing what to say or do. Blocking out the irritating shouting coming from the blond male in front of her. Tsunade chose to rather take in how Naruto looked. She didn't like what she saw…at all.

"You look like shit Naruto." Tsunade states interrupting Naruto from his banter with a blank stare and tone. "You barely look anything like what you used to…..you look half dead!"

"Gee….Thanks!" Naruto says with now sad eyes and slumped shoulders at the comment watching as Tsunade walked around her desk towards Naruto. "Nice to see you as well!" Naruto says sarcastically with a twitch In his left eye.

He was about to say something else but was interrupted by a bone crushing hug from Tsunade.

Naruto Looks slightly down with wide eyes at Tsunade, seeing she had a smile on her face and eyes closed happily. Naruto Softly smiled, raising his arms to hug her back. Squeezing her lightly while letting his previous thoughts drift from his mind. Stepping apart Tsunade looks up at the now taller man letting her eyes fall softly onto his dull blue ones. Turning on her heels she walks casually back to her side of the desk.

"Though you're still loud and annoying as hell I'll give you that, but I guess no matter what…that will never change huh?" Tsunade says while flopping into her chair crossing her legs. "It's good to see you kid."

Tsunade stared at Naruto for a brief moment before continuing.

"Now Naruto… why did you barge into my office and ruin such a nice quite day?" Tsunade asks placing an elbow on her desk and resting her chin on her palm.

Naruto blinks a few times realizing the extremely rare ooshy gooshy moment from Tsunade was over and it was time to get back to business. Naruto grows a large smile placing his hands on his hips once again and shooting out his chest.

"Reinstate me!" Naruto declares confidently. Raising his chin up while squishing his eyes shut. Keeping the huge toothy grin on his face.

"No…" Tsunade states blankly. Still leaning on her hand with a lazy look on her face.

Naruto flinches in shock letting the fake smile and hero pose fall. Doing a complete 180 with his attitude towards the conversation. Slamming his hands onto the desk causing scrolls to roll to the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN NO!?" Naruto shouts. Leaning over the desk so there was very little space between Tsunade's and his face.

"It's very nice to see you're out and about, but you aren't ready to be out in the field again Naruto… not yet." Tsunade says blinking slowly. "Just by looking at you I can tell you're not emotionally and mentally ready to be representing the Konoha military."

Naruto leans back to stand upright with a bewildered look on his face. Not knowing how to respond to what she just said.

"What do you mean just by looking at me you can tell!?" Naruto shouts bringing an annoyed vain to Tsunade's forehead.

"Well for one your hair looks like you haven't cut it in months. You look pale as a ghost, with the bags under yours eyes being the only color at all. Your eyes show no life in them at all… frankly you look like a suicide watch victim…not a Ninja!" Tsunade states crossing her arms under her large chest closing her eyes in a thinking manner.

"That's just because I haven't been out in a while!" Naruto says balling his fists at his side.

"That's another reason I can't allow you to just jump back into the rankings…your mentally unstable Naruto…" Tsunade says opening her eyes to stare calculatingly at Naruto. "You've spent the last six months locked in your apartment…no one knows what's going on in your head right now…you very well might need to be on suicide watch!"

"You know I won't kill myself!... I'm not like that!" Naruto says flinging his arm in front of him jabbing his thumb into his chest! "I won't be a coward like that!"

Tsunade looks down from Naruto to stare at the blank spot on her desk. Letting her eyes fall into a sad stare. Feeling bad for the young man she felt was like a son to her.

"Yes…I know Naruto….but what if you got others killed?" Tsunade asks quietly still staring at the spot on her desk. "What if you go back out there and can't take it… what if you have a mental break down in the middle of a fight? Letting important people you care about die because when they thought you had their back…you couldn't. Do you think you could live with yourself if that happened? Could you take it if they…died…because you weren't ready?

"I…..I…uh." Naruto stared at Tsunade with a blank look not knowing again what to say.

Naruto felt his doubts rush into him again like they had for the past months. Like thousands of sand bags had just been put on his chest making it hard to breath. Sasuke flashed through his mind for a second as Tsunades words echoed in his head.

(Mind) "Could you take that….take that….take that?"

Naruto then had flashes of his other friends run through his eyes. Sakura, Sai, Kakashi Sensei, Ino, Iruka-Sensei, and all of his other friends. All standing together smiling at him… welcoming him back. Tsunade's voice echoes again.

(Mind) "Could you take it if they died….died…died?" Naruto begins to sweat heavily and his breath becomes short and labored. He was beginning to set into a panic attack. As more flashes of his friends body's bloody and mangled went through his mind.

(Mind) "Could I…..handle it?" Naruto asks himself clenching his gray jacket above his heart.

"Naruto?" Tsunade asks growing worried looking at Naruto so silent all of the sudden.

Naruto was broken from his thoughts and looked back up from the floor to stare at Tsunade. His mouth was dry… like he was drowning in sand. He felt the urge to turn and run…not having to face the onslaught of questions any further.

"Could you do it Naruto?" Tsunade asks him once again. Sitting upright to study Naruto up and down waiting for his response.

'I…..I don't know Baa-Chan…" Naruto finally answers in a labored whisper. "I just don't know….but I won't ever know….unless I try….I do know that at least." Naruto says letting his hand drop from clutching at his chest. Growing once again a look of slight confidence. Gazing at Tsunade with solid dark blue eyes… no longer showing the doubt that laid hidden away within them.

"Hm!" Tsunade grunts letting a small smile grace her face. "Interesting answer" she says giving a slight nod at Naruto.

"Not the one I was looking for….but interesting never the less." Tsunade says letting her arms drop from the crossed position under her chest.

Leaning forward Tsunade pulls a drawer open just to the left of her feet. Reaching in and pulling out a small sealed shoe size box, she places it onto her desk. The box was very bland and seemed to be made from cardboard. The only distinguishing feature was the words FOR SAFE KEEPING written on the side with sharpie. Both Naruto and Tsunade look at the box silently… contemplating it…but for different reasons.

"I'll make you a deal Naruto." Tsunade says looking up from the box while picking the object up and placing it into her lap. "Ill allow you to be a ninja once again."

Naruto starts to grow a wide open mouth grin, giggling out loud.

"However!" Tsunade says making Naruto drop his smile and look at her with a questioning look. "I require you to do two very important things before I do."

"Go on..." Naruto says raising an eyebrow and glancing with calculating eyes between the box in her lap and Tsunade's face.

"First… I want you to get a haircut and clean yourself up so you look like you're not dead on the inside." Tsunade says with a joking tone. "The second… I want you to see a mental doctor…a…. therapist.

"A THERAPIST!?" Naruto shouts stepping back with a disgusted look on his face. "I'm not going to go spend my time with a doctor while they pick my brain like I'm crazy! I. . CRAZY!"

"Oh yes you will!... Especially if you ever want to put on a leaf headband again." Tsunade says with a mocking smile. "And I know you aren't crazy….stupid….but not crazy."

Naruto's muscles tighten at her words… wanting to be given his headband back and wear it with pride. Naruto straitens his stance to be more upright growing a look of contempt.

"Fine!" Naruto says with a hiss in his voice. "But I won't like it!"

Tsunade brings her eyes closed and gives Naruto a big grin. Happy to see he was so willing to earn his forehead protector back.

"Good!" Tsunade says still keeping the smile on her face. "But don't think of it as a reoccurring thing…you only have to do it once. I just want a specialist to take a look at you…pick your brain as you say. To see if you are mentally healthy enough to be reinstated. Think of it as a….. Test…not a doctor's appointment." Tsunade says with a mocking laugh.

"A test ….that I only have to do once?" Naruto asks liking the sound of it. "Deal!"

Naruto raises his right arm spreading his hand wide. Tsundae stands from her chair raising her arm as well clasping Naruto's hand in hers and shaking it firmly.

"Deal." Tsunade says while shaking his hand. "Now if you will excuse me I must go schedule your appointment and run some errands." Tsunade says leting go of Naruto's hand, picking up the box as she began to walk to the door.

Turning to look over her shoulder as she grasped the handle to the front door.

"Ill schedule it for 6 o'clock later today so don't be late!" She said opening the door.

"Wait why so early!? Why not tomorrow!?" Naruto asked completely baffled with how busy this day was getting. "And what the hell is with that box!?"

"The sooner the better with these kinds of things…or do you not want to be a ninja?" She says now stepping through the door and turning to clasp the handle again. "Oh but I know that you do so just remember to not be late Naruto!...and the box….well that doesn't concern you…."

With a wide smile stretching across her face, Tsunade pulls her office door closed and turns to walk down the hall. Pulling the box to sit in her hands right in front of her face. Starring at the object with a small smile.

(Mind) "Yes… not of your concern…..YET" Tsunade thinks still walking down the hall on her way to the hospital.

Naruto was still standing in his spot in front of Tsunade's desk, but now looking at the clock above the window behind her chair. The clock read 3:04 P.M.

"GWAAHH!" Naruto grunted out loud grasping at each side of his head with his hands. "This day is turning into the busiest fucking thing ever! Naruto yells still staring at the clock while pulling at his hair.

"What am I even supposed to do for three freaking hours!?" Naruto asks himself out loud letting his arms drop while resting his body in a slouched standing position. "Sigh…..well…it's not like this day could get any busier." Naruto says in a grumpy tone as he lazily walked to the front door of the office.

(ding ging dingaling…Ding ging dingaling)

Naruto's phone starts to ring and vibrate in his shorts pocket making him stop in his tracks in front of the office door. Lazily reaching his hand into his pocket Naruto lifts the device out and brings it up so he can read the contact name.

Naruto's eyes grow wide and takes a big dry gulp as fear begins to grow in his stomach. His hand begins to shake barely able to hold onto the device with his now sweaty palm. The picture of his caller on the screen was one he knew all too well… the name that flashed on the upper part of the screen sent butterfly's rocketing in his stomach.

**(CONTACT NAME) **

**^.^ Sakura Haruno ^.^**

(Mind) "Me and my big mouth." Naruto thinks letting the fear be obvious on his face. "What do I do!?...should I answer!?" ….what could she want?... Did she hear that I'm out of the house….does news really travel that fast!?"

Naruto had all of these questions flying through his head not really focusing on how much timed had passed. Before he knew it the phone stopped vibrating and there was a soft chime.

(Ding)

(1 Missed Call)

"Phew…." Naruto says letting a huge breath of relief out of his lungs. Happy he didn't have to talk to Sakura just yet after all.

He did not have much time to relax though as his phone once again began to vibrate and play his ringtone. It was Sakura calling him once again.

(Mind) "OH GOD, OH GOD!... She must really want to get ahold of me!..." Naruto thinks now staring at the phone like it was the scariest thing he had ever seen in his life. "WAIT!? What if she's in trouble!?...What if she needs my help and I'm ignoring her!?" Naruto thinks to himself.

Naruto looks at the phone gripping it tightly, getting a worried look in his eyes.

"Sigh….I'm going to have to answer it now….aren't I?" Naruto asks himself lifting his thumb to hover over the answer button with a flustered look on his face.

Naruto carefully pushes the green answer button on his screen… slowly lifting it to his ear with a shaky hand. With the best gulp he could manage and a deep drawn out breath, he spoke out with a clear yet shaky voice.

"He…..hello….. Sakura-Chan…."

- - Earlier Today - -

(West Hill's Coffee Shop – Konoha West Side)

Sakura was currently sitting in the outside patio area of her favorite coffee shop. The patio was fenced off with benches and tables set up around the stone floored area. Sakura was the only one outside at the moment just enjoying the quiet. The day had been quit lazy for her not doing much at the hospital today and even getting out of her shift three hours early. Sakura had just enough time to get home and change before she got a rather strange message from Ino telling her to meet at their favorite Shop ASAP. Sakura didn't mind the sudden request though, she liked being outdoors. Sakura enjoying the light breeze that moved her hair and kept her face cool. Taking a sip of her Mocha iced coffee, Sakura sighs happily enjoying the weather.

"Hey Billboard brow!" Sakura heard someone say loudly from behind her.

Turning in her chair Sakura sees her best friend Ino walking from the coffee shop door, holding her own beverage in her left hand while her purse hung from her right shoulder. In her right hand hung multiple bags indicating she had been shopping. Ino walked over and took the other seat at the small table Sakura was sitting at.

"Hey Ino how are you?" Sakura asks sweetly as her friend got settled into her seat.

"I'm doing great! Just been shopping with the big commission check I got after my last mission!" Ino said happily leaning forward so her elbows were on the table while her hands where clutching her drink.

"Glad to hear…but what was so important that you told me to get here as fast as I could?" Sakura asked raising her eyebrow lifting her drink to her lips.

"Oh Oh Oh!" Ino said joyfully bouncing slightly as she did. "Guess who I ran into and had a very…very…quick lunch with earlier today." Ino said leaning far over the table to stare at Sakura with a wide grin.

"Uhh….Who?" Sakura asked, taking a large sip of her coffee.

"Naruto!" Ino said in an excited whisper still having the huge smile on her face.

Sakura was so shocked at the name that she had to turn her head to the side a spit her drink out violently. Coughing and rubbing her thought she turned to stare with very wide eyes at the laughing Ino.

"Na….Naruto's out of his apartment?" Sakura sked quietly getting a happy glimmer in her eyes.

"Emmmhmmm" Ino says letting her chin rest in her hand with a cute look on her face. "Though he didn't look to good. Looked like he was beaten mentally and physically with a ten pound crowbar!" Ino let her smile fall into a pout.

"Oh…." Sakura says letting her glee from her eyes drop into a look of concern.

(Mind) "Oh Naruto….why won't you let me help you?" Sakura thinks to herself sadly. "We could have comforted each other with our loss…..instead once again….you had to do it on your own." Sakura turns her vision from Ino to stare at her Drink.

"You know you should give him a call!...Invite him over….im sure he would be happy to see you." Ino says seeing the mood swing from Sakura after hearing of his condition. Trying to pull her back into a happy state.

"I don't know Ino… I tried reaching out to him before and he just ignored me. I even asked him to come find me when he was ready to talk…but he never did." Sakura said quietly keeping her vision on her drink.

"Sakura… you have to reach out to him again… let him know that's its ok….I know from just talking to him that he really blames himself for what happened to Sasuke." Ino says letting her eyes fall softly on Sakura before taking a quick drink. "He probably doesn't know what to say to you… afraid of losing …well….the only best friend he has left."

Sakura looks up from her drink to look at Ino in a curious way. Letting her mouth hang open just slightly.

"Best….friend?" Sakura asks quietly as she softly set her coffee on the table.

(Mind) "Does he really… think of me as his best friend?" Sakura asked herself quietly.

"Well…YA!" Ino sates in a (Well Duh!) tone. "You two were so inseparable before the war! Also with the way you two acted like siblings…. Most people thought you two were family."

"Us….Family." Sakura said out loud.

(Mind) "Are we really that close?" Sakura sked herself. Images of her and Naruto over the years past through her mind. The Chuunin exams, their hunt for Sasuke, saving Gaara, now most recently the war. "Through all of that he always stayed by my side…and I by his."

Sakura stares blankly at Ino, absorbing all of what she was thinking. With a soft smile and the joyous glint returning to her eye, Sakura giggled.

"Ya …we are Family." Sakura said sweetly letting a soft smile grace her features. "I'll give him a call after this."

"Good to hear billboard brow!" Ino said while letting out a slight giggle. "He's such a sweet guy… it's about time we started breaking through those walls of his." Ino took a large sip of her drink letting a hush fall into their conversation.

Sakura shot her attention from her own drink back to Ino after a few moments. Sakura looked at Ino with a baffled look on her face. Finally registering what her friend just said.

"Did you just call Naruto….sweet!?" Sakura asked not believing her ears.

Ino choked on her drink but managed to swallow it roughly. Patting her chest with her hand to calm herself, she turned her head up from her coughing to look at Sakura.

"Well….Y...Ya what of it!?" Ino asked realizing her mistake, growing a slight pink blush.

"You never compliment a boy unless you lik…" Sakura stopped herself realizing what was going on.

Sakura let her eyes squint together as a sly grin was placed on her face. Tilting her head forward she studied Ino carefully. Thinking of how to go about this new information that Ino let slip.

"You like Naruto don't you Ino?" Sakura asks in a dark but joking tone. Never losing the mischievous and sly grin that was plastered on her face.

"WHAT!? NO! For the second time today he is just a friend!" Ino declares smacking her balled fist into the table causing it to shake. Her face was growing pinker and pinker by the second.

"Wait second time? So someone else figured it out? Since when did this happen?" Sakura asked playfully. Enjoying seeing her friend look so flustered and embarrassed.

"Since WHAT happened Billboard Brow!?" Ino asked huffing and giving Sakura a death glare.

"Hahaha" Sakura laughed quietly letting her face fall back into normalcy while giving a bright smile. "Nothing…never mind Ino."

"Whatever!" Ino said quietly slouching forward and taking another sip of her drink finishing it off. Her blush disappearing from her face.

Sakura quickly took the last gulp of her drink and set it down. Turning her attention back to Ino but not looking at her. Sakura looked out over the gated fence around the Patio. Watching a young couple walk by in the street holding hands. Sakura watched them go past and remembered something of importance. Sakura still starring into the street asked the question that she knew would bother Ino.

"So…..how you holding up?...You know…over what happened with you and Sai? You going to tell me what he did finally?" Sakura asked looking at Ino for a brief second out of the corner of her eye.

Ino's posture and mood went from one of being flustered to complete sadness. Her eyes became glossy from her efforts at holding back tears.

"I still don't want to talk about it Sakura." Ino said very quietly in a sad tone. Turning to look out over the street along with Sakura. "I need more time to calm down and think."

"But Ino! It's been a month!" Sakura said turning to face her friend and confront her on the topic.

Just as Sakura was about to continue speaking Ino shot up from her seat and grabbed her belongings. She turned towards Sakura and gave her the biggest fake smile she could muster.

Thank you for seeing me on such short notice and I'm sorry our visit is so short. I hope things go well with you and Naruto's talk!" Ino said as the tears where threatening to fall out of the corners of her eyes.

With a swift turn on her heels Ino marched out of the patio area and turned just to the left of the coffee shop disappearing from sight down the street. Sakura was left speechless at seeing her so hurt at just talking about Sai. With how quickly she left Sakura had no time to say anything back. So Sakura still sat in her seat starring at where Ino had just left.

(Mind) "I'm sorry Ino…I hope things turn up for you soon." Sakura thought sadly turning to look back out over the street.

Sakura sat there quietly by herself for ten minutes just thinking of different things and people after Ino left. Her thoughts wondered before settling on the topic at the most front of her to do list….call Naruto. With very slow movements Sakura pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts… landing on Naruto's. She stared at his happy picture for what felt like hours to her before getting the courage to press call. With a deep drawn out breath she raised the phone to her ear and listened to the dial tone.

(Ring ring…ring ring.)

It seemed to ring forever to her. She just stared at the table in front of her waiting for him to answer.

(Ring ring… ring ring)

Sakura became more upset with the longer she waited for him to answer his damn phone….she didn't handle anticipation well. She was cursing him internally before there was a beep shaking her from her thoughts. His cheerful voice came to life over the phone… and for a split second… she got excited. Her happiness crashed back to earth quickly though at realizing it was just his voice mail.

(Phone) "Hey this is Naruto! Sorry I couldn't get to the phone right now but leave a message and I'll get b-"(Beep)

Sakura hung up the phone not listening to the full voice message. Huffing in annoyance that he didn't answer her call's….AGAIN!

(Mind) "Oh no you don't Naruto! You are not going to ignore me anymore!" Sakura thought in an angry tone as she pressed redial. "I will keep calling your ass until you answer!"

She listened to the dial tone once again as she tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. She thought it was going to go to voice mail again, which angered her even more…but right when it was supposed to end she heard the dial tone stop. A deep breath come through the phone.

(Phone) "He…..hello….. Sakura-Chan…." Naruto said with a shaky voice.

Sakura froze at hearing his voice. All of her anger washed away instantly and was replaced with an excitement at hearing him talk to her after so long. Yet she was partially saddened at how soft and depressed his voice sounded…she almost didn't recognize it… such a bittersweet feeling. She lost all track of what she was going to say to him and sat their speechless breathing into her phone.

(Mind) "He answered! What do I do, what do I do!?" She thought loudly to herself.

She was brought back to earth though when he spoke once again.

(Phone) "Sakura-Chan...are you there?" he asked with a little bit with what sounded to her like worry in his voice.

She finally found her bearings again as she let a soft loving smile grace her face.

(Phone) "Hello Naruto…yes I'm here…sorry." She said softly and in a tone a loving sister or mother would use. "How are you doing?"

(Phone) "I'm doing… well…I guess…what about you?" He asked in a more stable tone.

(Phone) "I'm fine… I heard you're out and about today?" Sakura asked.

(Phone) "Ya …..Just …..Doing some stuff." Naruto said quietly. "So…what's up Sakura-Chan? Why did you call?" Naruto asked nervously.

(Phone) "Well….I was wondering….if you could meet at the park in like 30 minutes? ….So we can finally have that talk." Sakura said nervously waiting for him to reject the offer or just hang up completely.

Naruto did not though, but he did not respond to her immediately either. Instead he just sat on the other end of the call…breathing slowly as he was thinking. Sakura listened to his shaky breaths for what seemed like eternity before he answered.

(Phone) "S...sure Sakura-Chan…I'm on my way." Naruto said quietly letting his breathing flatten out.

Sakura got a huge smile on her face that they were finally going to see each other and talk this out in person. Sakura was so happy she almost forgot to say something back.

(Phone) "Ok ill head that way as well….see you soon Naruto." Sakura said, standing from her seat and heading towards the patio exit.

(Phone) "Ya, see you soon…bye." Naruto says, sounding like he had started walking as well.

(Phone) "Bye." Sakura said reaching the exit of the patio and pushing it open.

(Beep) (Beep)

They both hung up. Sakura slides her phone back into her squirt pocket still walking towards the Konoha Park. She was lost in thought, barely able to keep herself from running into villagers passing by. She stared forward at the road ahead but her eyes were not focused on anything. She was too busy thinking of a game plan on how to go about this conversation with Naruto.

(Mind) "Ok Sakura this is it….the talk you've wanted to have with him for 6 months. Just stay calm and collective and try not to cry. This is for him not you!" Sakura thought taking deep breaths and picking up her pace a bit. "Here we go!"

With those final thoughts Sakura was off at a quick determined pace. She needed to stop by her home and pick something up that she had meaning to give to Naruto. She marched with her head held high, Nothing In the world could stop her from getting to the park.

(Konoha Park, Konoha North side)

When Naruto reached the park he noticed how unusually quiet it was for an afternoon. The academy should have been out for the day, letting the kids out to play. Yet they seemed to be gone for now. This left the park with an abnormal silence, not fitting with the large area. The only sounds were the occasional chirp of a passing bird and the soft sound of the trees shaking in the breeze. It was relaxing and much needed for Naruto after his easy day got very hectic very quickly.

"Hmmmm!" Naruto hummed in a relaxed manner.

Naruto had always loved the park even when he was very little. He would often came here just to sit in the grassy hills and take a nap. He loved coming to the small pond that was in the center of the park. He would skip rocks and generally pass the time there if he was thinking of how to go about a problem he was facing. This is also where Ero-Sennin would do some research, spying on young woman cooling themselves off in the pond. Naruto could definitely say he had a lot of enjoyable memories in this area. It warmed his heart.

Naruto walked down the dirt and stone path towards the resting area. He was heading to the benches next to the pond where he knew Sakura would be waiting. She always seemed to beat him to wherever they were supposed to meet no matter how early Naruto showed up. He guessed it was from her need to always be punctual. Naruto reached the top of the hill that the path brought him to. Looking down from the hill he could see the pond stretching 200 yards in every direction. It was always so peaceful to look at. Turning his gaze towards to shore he saw a row of benches where fishermen or passersby would sit. He saw only one figure among the rows of benches today though. He got nervous… he could always spot her pink hair anywhere.

Sakura was starring away from him just gazing out into the pond clearly lost in thought. Naruto slowly walked up to her almost not wanting to disturb her from her thoughts. As he grew closer the stones crackled under his feat. Sakura turned over her shoulder to see who was approaching. She took in his features instantly just as Ino, Ayame, and Tsunade had. She was saddened by how fragile he looked. She noticed he was carrying a box underneath his right arm, curious to what it was.

Naruto had also took in how Sakura had changed over the past six months. Her chest had seemed to grow over their time away from each other. It made her more womanly and definitely more attractive. Her hair was much longer reaching just past her shoulder blades, bringing back images of the early Genin days. The green diamond mark on her forehead was a bright green that matched her eyes. She wore her usual civilian black squirt with her knee high boots. Her red top with the Haruno Circle on the back was the same she always wore. A white long sleeve shirt was underneath the red top reaching her wrists. Naruto gulped thinking she looked very nice. Naruto also noticed she had a box with her as well, sitting just next to her on the bench. This gave Naruto a curious look.

Sakura decided to brake the silent starring by turning her attention to the box next to her. Picking the object up she sits it on her lap while scooting over to allow room for Naruto on the bench. Turning back to look at Naruto, Sakura pats the open spot now next to her, gesturing him to join her with a soft smile. Naruto walked slowly over with a cautious demeanor to him. Taking the seat next to her, placing his box in his lap as well. They both kept their attention away from each other starring out into the pond.

The silence between them was driving them both mad. Wanting one of them to brake the tension between them. Finally Naruto coughed awkwardly.

"Its quiet today isn't it?" Naruto said, trying to think of anything to get them talking. Still not turning to face her.

"Yes…..it's rather nice huh?" Sakura replies, looking at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

Turning, Naruto picked up the box from off his lap stretching it out from his body in front of himself for Sakura to gtake. Sakura turned to look at the box taking it in. it was a smaller sized box with a nice blue wrapping paper wrapped around it. The bright red bow in the center of the box was frilly and bowed in the breeze. It was obvious it was a present.

"Listen before we talk I wanted to give you this…" Naruto said quietly looking at Sakura with a calm look. "I stopped by home knowing I would forget it again if I didn't bring it with me today."

"W…what is it?" Sakura asks grabbing the package from Naruto and placing it on top of the box already in her lap.

She starred at the package wondering what on earth brought this about. She looked away from the package to look at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…. I didn't see you on your birthday last month… so…here's your belated present." Naruto said looking down at the package in her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't see you or wish you happy birthday, but I was thinking of you that day…so please take this as an apology for me not being there."

Sakura picked up the present shifting the weight in her hands as she grew a bright smile.

"I know why you weren't there Naruto you didn't have to apologize… but thank you very much!" Sakura said facing him and giving him the most loving smile she could muster. It put a small simile on Naruto face. He laugh in embarrassment.

"And how ironic that you got me a birthday gift!" Sakura said letting her large smile drop into a smaller more calm one.

"What do you mean Ironic?" Naruto asked while raising an eyebrow in confusion. Letting his mouth drop open slightly.

"It's ironic..." Sakura said while pulling the box from underneath her gift and placing in Naruto's lap. "Because I got you a birthday gift to hehe!" Sakura said bouncing slightly in excitement that she was finally giving him the gift half a year later.

Naruto starred at the newly placed box in his lap with surprise. It was in orange wrapping paper with a blue bow on top. The bow had a nice reflective quality to it making it shine in the afternoon sun. This gift was much more nicely wrapped then Naruto's was. He looked up from the present while picking it up off his lap. Looking at Sakura with a baffled look as he blinked slowly.

"Y…you got me a birthday present Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked in a whisper with raised eyebrows and a slight opening in his mouth. It was a cute look that Naruto gave whenever he was shocked.

"Well I didn't just buy it so to say…I had it custom made just for you." Sakura said tilting her head slightly in a cute manner as Naruto continued to stare at her. "I had it made shortly after the war…but I haven't been able to give it to you until now." Sakura said, growing a sad tone.

"Wow…thank you very much Sakura-Chan...this means a lot to me." Naruto said quietly growing soft eyes. Feeling warm from getting his first ever birthday present from her.

"Oh don't get all gooshy on me idiot… it's just a gift." Sakura said while crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"No really Sakura this means a lot coming from you." Naruto said quietly giving her a genuine smile of happiness. "Especially after what happe-….." Naruto stopped himself realizing what he was about to say. Turning his mood into a depressed one once again.

Sakura caught where he was going with what he said and also grew slightly sad. She knew this conversation wasn't going to be easy….at all.

(Mind) "(Sigh)….how do I go about this?" Sakura asked herself while turning her head glancing down at the gift and then back at Naruto. Putting on a forced small smile she lifted her gift from her lap.

"May I open my gift now Naruto?" Sakura asked making Naruto turn towards her changing his mood from sad to excited instantly.

"Please do!" Naruto said loudly growing a smile. Turning his body to face directly at her waiting for her to proceed.

"Hm…Ok!" Sakura said, giving him another happy smile as she began to unwrap her gift.

Sakura pulled at the wrapping carefully making sure not to make too much of a mess. Pulling the paper completely off, she wads it up in a ball and places it neatly on the bench next to her. Looking at the now bland box she lifts the lid off revealing her present underneath. She gasped back a breath seeing what was inside.

"D…do you like it?" Naruto asked quietly, getting nervous with Sakura's shocked reaction.

Sakura pulled her gift from out of the box so she could get a better look at it. She smiled wide as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. It was so simple… but it instantly meant the world to her.

The gift from Naruto was a leaf forehead protector with a long black cloth as the strap and a dented and scratched Leaf Plate. She recognized the Black cloth used as the strap was Naruto's Old Headband cloth he wore ever since he returned with Jiraiya-Sannin. It was re-stitched and washed so it looked just like New to the naked eye…but she knew it was his old one. The Leaf plate definitely got her right in the heart though. It looked just like a normal Plate except for the repaired long gash that was along the Leaf symbol. It was filled in and polished making it look less of a gash and more of a battle worn scratch. It was hardly noticeable unless you looked at the Plate very closely.

At recognizing it as Sasuke's old Plate Sakura let the tears flow. Cradling the now precious object in her hands she flips it over to inspect every inch of the Headband. Stopping when she sees a small messaged stitched in the cloth on the back of the plate where you normally place your forehead.

**(Stitched Message)**

**So no matter what happens … no matter how impossible… you will always have a piece of us with you Sakura.**

**-Naruto / Sasuke **

Sakura Close's her eyes as she quietly cried. Cradling her new Forehead protector right next to her heart.

(Mind) "DAMMIT! I said I wasn't going to cry!" Sakura yelled at herself.

"I thought since you know… how everything has happened… with that headband… you can always have a piece of us by your side!" Naruto said giving her a wide loving smile as Sakura lifted her teary eyes to look at him.

Flinging herself forward she crashed into Naruto almost causing him to fall off of the bench. Catching himself by flailing his arms to balance himself he turned his attention down at Sakura. Just about to yell at her for almost knocking him off, he stops. Letting his look drop from anger… to a smile.

Sakura had flung herself giving Naruto a large hug digging her face into his shoulder wetting his grey jacket with her tears. She clenched at the headband in her hand while wrapping her arms around his chest. Naruto leaned forward and hugged her back tightly. Letting them sit there quietly for a few minutes.

Leaning back, Sakura let go of Naruto to look at him with her red puffy eyes. She had a large smile on her face as she wiped the remainders of her tears away.

"Thank you Naruto….This is the best gift I have ever gotten." Sakura said happily lifting the headband to her head.

Placing it on her head and tying it into place she lets her hands drop to her sides looking at Naruto. The black long cloth reached from underneath her pink locks to rest on her back a couple inches past her hair. It looked just like the way she wore her other headband…but the blacked seemed to pop on her pink hair.

"Looks great Sakura…Likes it's made for you!" Naruto said, getting Sakura to smile widely. "Well it is after all HAHA!"

"I'll wear it with pride Naruto…It's an amazing gift." Sakura said, lifting her hand to touch the plate above her head.

"Good!" Naruto said loudly almost sounding like his old self. Crossing his arms and turning to look at the pond once again.

"Well just don't sit there open mine idiot!" Sakura declares giving Naruto a joking punch in the shoulder.

Naruto was rocked backward slightly from the impact. Sakura never did understand her own strength.

"OUCH! God Sakura watch your punches…god damn!" Naruto yells while rubbing his left shoulder in pain.

"Eh…heh… Sorry Naruto" Sakura says rubbing the back of her head with a chibbi sweat drop.

Naruto rolls his eyes, turning his attention to his gift while letting go of his sore shoulder. Sakura was bouncing in anticipation for him to see her present. As he began to rip through the wrapping paper in a slow manner, Naruto grew a wide smile. Getting all of the paper off of the box he flung the paper to the park floor in a quick motion. Lifting the lid off of the box he stops and gasps just as Sakura had at seeing his gift.

Naruto pulled out the gift slowly growing a shocked look. Starring at the gift… Naruto fell in love.

It was a new black zip up Ninja jacket. The zipper going up the middle of the jacket was a bright orange. There was 2 pockets, one on each hip towards the bottom of the jacket. The opening to the pockets where the same Orange that was on the zipper. There was 2 more pockets located on each breast of the jacket that were zipped up. They were the Jackets quick access pockets Ninjas used when they needed a scroll or Kunai very quickly. They were also orange of course. The jacket had a large hood with the outside being the pitch black of the jacket but the inside being the bright Orange located on the zippers and pockets. The jacket had a secondary layer underneath the jacket. There was a high rise neck colored shirt attached to the inside of the jacket. The shirt had a black zipper that was in line with the orange zipper on the upper layer. The color of the under layer was orange on the inside with the outside being black, just like the hood. The sleeves where short on purpose meaning Naruto would have them pushed up on his elbows. Enabling him to use his hands without the worry of his sleeves getting in the way. On the back was the whirlpool symbol Naruto always wore…this was also Orange. The jacket….was beautiful….Naruto was speechless.

(**AN: Ok so I know describing this jacket was a bitch so here is how you can see it for yourself. BTW - I DON'T OWN THE RIGHTS TO THIS JACKET…..It's just bad ass looking! Google search **_**Orange assassin jacket**_** in images…it's the first pic that pops up on mine…the jacket is on a black headless manikin wearing a necklace with a ring on it. I hope you find it if it's not the first pic for you! )**

Folding and placing the jacket next to him. Naruto pulls out of the box matching Jonin pants that where black as well with a single orange stripe running down each leg. Naruto starred at the outfit with no words to say. His eyes glowing just looking at it.

"I thought since your old outfit was trashed after the war…id get you a new one!" Sakura said happily, seeing Naruto clearly loved his new outfit. "I hope you don't tear up this one as badly though."

Naruto put the pants back in the box as well as the folded jacket. Putting the lid on the box carefully. Naruto turns and places it next to him on the bench. A wide smile was on his face that you would assume would hurt his cheeks it was so big. Turning, Naruto Leans in and gives Sakura a very quick hug, giving her not time to return.

"Thank you Sakura… this is the coolest jacket I've ever seen!" Naruto states loudly, leaning back to sit casually next to Sakura never losing his smile. "I will also wear it with pride!" Naruto boasted lifting his arm and clenching his fist over his heart.

"Ha-ha…well I'm happy to hear that Naruto." Sakura said. Turning her attention to the pond…knowing this is where the conversation was going to get serious.

Naruto also turned his attention to look over the pond leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. Naruto's smile dropped into a serious look… playing with his hands as he thought. The silence between them grew again just as it had when he arrived… both waiting for the other to talk first. Once again…it was Naruto.

"I'm sorry Sakura-Chan." Naruto said quietly never looking at her. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you."

Sakura turned her head to look at Naruto also getting a serious look.

"You know I don't ca-" Sakura started to say, but was cut off by Naruto.

"Let me finish please." Naruto said, turning to face her.

Naruto looked Sakura right in the eyes for the first time since getting there. He saw the same emotions that he saw in his own eyes. Fear, sadness, depression…she was going through the same things he was. She just always hid her emotions better. Naruto still looking into her eyes took a deep breath and continued.

"You know I thought you would hate me forever for not bringing him home…like I promised. I hated myself even more then I thought you ever could though…I despised myself. I let myself get caught up in the moment and let him sacrifice himself…. I watched as he died. It tore me up inside instantly knowing he was gone. It destroyed me even more though knowing how you would react…. Knowing I lost my best friend…. And let down my other. I hid away from you….away from everyone… not wanting to see your faces….seeing the pain that I caused just for being a jinchuuriki. Seeing the pain I caused for starting a war…just for fighting back."

Naruto turned away from Sakura to stare at the floor by his feet, balling his fists.

"I was being a coward though… I'm starting to see that now thanks to Ino. I was not remembering the people who fell for my sake in that war with honor… I was disgracing their memories. I will change that though…starting today I will not be a coward and I will rebuild myself. That's also why I'm here with you Sakura…I've missed you…deeply over the past months. I was afraid of what you would say to me….afraid of what….I would say. Though over the past couple minutes that I've seen you…you don't look at me with disgust like expected. You look at me just like you did before I left on the mission before the war. You look at me with…comfort. So I realize….you don't hate me… even after I failed you." Naruto says letting go of his balled fists. Turning to look at her with a small smile.

"Though you can just be a great actor and you actually do hate me...ha-ha." Naruto took a deep breath preparing himself for what he had been meaning to say. Lifting his sight from the floor to look Sakura in the eye once again.

"I guess what I'm trying to say Sakura…is…even if you do hate me…you are very precious to me. I will always hold you in my heart… because no matter what happens… you'll always be my closest friend. I'm sorry….I disappointed you." Naruto said finishing his speech.

Naruto looked away from the quite Sakura. Choosing to watch the ducks swim slowly across the pond, leaving ripples in the pure blue water. He was waiting for her response….and her silence was killing him inside.

Sakura turned her attention towards the ducks as well. She placed her hands together in her lap while rubbing her thumbs together. Naruto caught this out of the corner of his eye knowing what it meant… she was thinking.

Sakura spoke very quietly…keeping her vision towards the other end of the pond. Not wanting to look at his face while she spoke…because knowing if she did…she wouldn't be able to focus.

"You're such an idiot you know that?" Sakura asked in a somber tone making Naruto flick his head to look at her with pouting eyes. She didn't look back, instead she kept her vision on the pond.

"I would never hate you Naruto… and you might mess up…a lot... but you have never once disappointed me. I understand why you would think I would hate you… I never treated you well when we were younger… but I have grown up and have seen how you are such a beautiful person Naruto." Sakura said growing a soft smile.

"You did hit me a lot" Naruto states rubbing his head where she normally left lumps.

"Ha-ha!...yes…that I did… but you always deserved it!" Sakura said laughing at the memories.

"Hey!" Naruto says while slumping into a pout. "I didn't always deserve it!"

Sakura places her finger to her lips gesturing him to be silent. She still would not look at him.

"Let me finish please. I let you speak without interruptions didn't I?" Sakura asked with a slight giggle.

Naruto nodded his head, relaxing into his seat. Gesturing with his hand for her to proceed.

"I do miss him though Naruto. We had Sasuke back for such a short time during the war… but I never got to speak with him. I never sat him down and told him how much he meant to me…how much I loved him. Now he is gone and I never will have that chance…it saddens me. I will never blame you for what happened to him though. He's gone, but he will always be in my heart…as well as yours." Sakura turned her head to look at the clouds above. Moving slowly in the breeze… they were so peaceful to look at.

"It almost killed me when Sasuke died Naruto…but I would have died… if I had lost you as well." Sakura finally turned away from the sky and looked at Naruto with nothing but confidence in what she was saying. She seemed to look into Naruto's sole with her gaze. It made him shiver.

"Despite how I've treated you in the past…I never hated you. When I was talking to Ino earlier she brought up feelings I never thought I had towards you Naruto. She made me realize what you are to me. I know I've always loved Sasuke… but in turns out… I've loved you as well." Sakura says letting her eyes fall into a soft glisten that Naruto only saw her give when she was looking at Sasuke or her parents.

Naruto flinched backwards at the information, his mind going blank and not even remembering to breathe.

"But before you get any ideas I don't mean I love you like a lover… I mean I love you….like a brother. I guess in ways I love you more than I loved Sasuke… because even though I sought him for affection. I have always had a connection with you Naruto…because you're like my brother…..you're my family… and family always comes first." Sakura says resting her hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto starred at Sakura with the widest eyes that he could possibly muster. His mouth was wide open and his heart was beating a thousand beats a second. Slowing closing his mouth Naruto changed his face into something he didn't think he could do anymore…he gave her half of his normal foxy grin.

"I love you like a sister to Sakura-Cha-…. Sakura-Imouto! (Imouto- Little Sister)

This made Sakura smile even brighter at seeing the old Naruto starting to come out…even it was just a baby bit. She was happy never the less. Naruto opened his eyes to look at Sakura with a slight happiness… and for a brief moment. Sakura could have sworn the color in his eyes got brighter.

(Mind) "His emotions did always reflect in his eyes." Sakura thought, watching the flare of color wash back to the sad dull blue.

Naruto started rubbing the back of his head while a blush reached his cheeks, he giggled. This made Sakura drop her hand from his shoulder and give him a questioning look.

"What?" Sakura asked curious with Naruto's sudden change in behavior.

"Well... it's just that….I always saw you as a love interest… if we are siblings now…that makes it weird." Naruto says still rubbing the back of his with a blush. "I guess I'll have to find someone else ha-ha! Though I've never been a ladies man."

Sakura looked at Naruto with a happy look in her eye at hearing him talk about finding another love interest.

"Ya don't do that anymore... it's weird now." Sakura said in a joking manner.

Both Sakura and Naruto burst into laughter at this not letting it stop for almost five minutes.

(Mind) "Oh… don't worry Naruto…I believe you won't be single for much longer heheee." Sakura thought as an image of her loud blond female friend popped in her head. "Not long at all…"

"Why you spacing out on me Sakura-Imouto?" Naruto asked waving his hand in front of her face snapping his fingers.

"Nothing Naruto, now get you r damn hand out of my face….and why the hell are you calling me Imouto….it should be Oneesan (Big Sister)." Sakura stated giving him a joking evil glare.

"ONEESAN!...Why the hell are you the older sibling!?" Naruto asked with a huff while crossing his arms.

"Because I'm seven months older than you dummy…you turned 18 in October while last month I turned 19!" Sakura said with a happy tone waiting for Naruto to get what that meant.

Naruto stared at Sakura with wide eyes finally letting his brain click with the information.

"THAT MEANS IM YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!" Naruto shouted flailing his arms in anger. He didn't like that sound of that at all.

"Yep…you're younger than me so that makes you my wittle Otouto (Little brother) huh? Little boo boo brother." Sakura said teasing Naruto while grabbing his cheeks and pinching and pulling them.

"Knock it off!" Naruto retorts smacking her hands away from his face.

Sakura burst into laughter having to hold her sides from them hurting.

(Mind) "This is bull shit!" Naruto thought with a pout listening to Sakura's laughter.

Naruto didn't mind though…if this helped to bring them back to where they were before the war…Naruto would gladly take one for the team.

After Sakura's laughing had settled down Naruto and Sakura just sat there talking about silly things and memories. They were enjoying each other's company. They laughed and they joked about how silly they were as kids. Naruto started catching up on what all has happened in the village while he was locked away in his home. Before both of them knew it…hours had passed by.

Sakura looked up towards the sky watching how low the sun was getting. She huffed in annoyance knowing it was time for her to head home for dinner.

"Well it's getting late I better be getting home." Sakura said turning away from the sky towards Naruto.

"Ya its ge-… wait did you just say it's getting late!?" Naruto asked springing to his feet showing a face of fear. "Sakura-Oneesan what's the time!?"

Sakura slightly shaken by Naruto's sudden change from happy to fearful reached for her phone. Pulling it out and clicking the power button to bring her lock screen to life, she reads the time.

"Its 5:54…why?" Sakura said putting her phone back into her pocket.

"SHIT! IM GONNA BE LATE!" Naruto shouted while grabbing the box holding his new outfit. "Sorry Sakura, I got to go I'll talk to you later bye!"

Naruto stepped forward gave Sakura a very quick hug and before she could ask what he was late for he was off running. Seeing him trip and fall flat on his face skidding to a stop about 50 yards away, Sakura giggled. Naruto quickly recovered re-grabbed his present and was off again running out of sight.

(Mind) "Such an idiot….." Sakura thought turning with the wrappings to her own present that still rested on her head. She started to walk towards home letting her thoughts go to Ino and Naruto. "If they play their cards right… I think they could make a great couple…loud as hell….but great."

Sakura reached the park exit, dropping her trash into a bin as she passed bye. Sighing to herself and reaching up to touch her new Forehead protector Sakura smiled…it had been a great day.

END CHAPTER 3


	4. Authors Note! Personal Fan Art!

Authors Note!

So I have just uploaded a picture I have personally drawn to give you guys a visual of what Naruto will look like when he's back out in the field again. You can find this picture on my deviantart page. You can get there by placing my username (same as my FF) in the search bar instead of WWW … I wish I could just show you guys but FF doesn't allow me to type out web address's for some damn reason! Or you can get there by google searching my user name and deviantart! Should take you to a link with my username and then my real name Dylan next to it. Anyway just put that in your search bar and it will take you right to my page where it's the only picture up as of right now! Hope you all like it! Also I just got my first negative review! YYAAYY! I love haters! HAHA! Well I'm not doing all this for them I'm doing it for the people who do enjoy the story. So thank you to all who have fallowed and written actual helpful reviews I really do appreciate it! I hope to keep making the fans of this story happy! I certainly enjoy writing it! Working on Chapter 4 right now so it will hopefully be up soon! High Fives all around!

Carmine 

PS- If for some reason you still cant get to the picture PM me and ill see if i can find a way to get you there! Another high five!


	5. Chapter 4 The 6 Miru Hito

(AN: Glad to see that a lot of people are enjoying this story so far! I Hope this chapter keeps it going!)

Chapter 4 The 6 _Miru Hito_

Ino currently sat at the front cashier desk of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She had her elbow resting on the counter while her cheek was squished up against her palm. She had half open eyes as she flipped lazily through page after page of her latest fashion magazine. Her shift in the shop brought only a few customers her way bringing her to absolute boredom. The stereo next to her played what relaxing elevator music in the shop. Slowly coxing Ino into a very quick nap.

It had been quite a day for the Yamanaka so far. Running into the loud mouth Naruto was a very nice treat to her usually average day. Though seeing him so out of works was a bit depressing. Then there was Sakura who left a bitter sweet taste in her mouth with her stupid question about Sai. She really didn't want to go there right now, little alone talk about it. After Ino had left the coffee shop she wondered the streets lost in her thoughts about her EX. Thinking who she could talk to it about? Not her mother for sure being a psychologist she would probably turn it into a therapy session. Sakura and the other girls were also out knowing it would turn into village wide gossip. Ino eventually returned to her home giving up on the thoughts of a vent buddy for the moment.

Thus here she sat in her family's shop waiting for SOMETHING to grab her damn attention. She was just about to fall asleep when her prayers were answered. The door behind her leading to her home creaked open loudly. Turning to look over her left shoulder with still lazy eyes, she saw it was her mother.

"Going somewhere mom?" Ino asked in a lazy tone seeing she was dressed very professionally.

Closing the door behind her, Mrs. Yamanaka slipped on her dress shoes, also picking up her purse.

"Yes honey I've got to run to the office. I just got a request from Lady Tsunade herself to see a patient immediately for some evaluation." Mrs. Yamanaka said walking over to the coat rack next to the supply room.

"A personal request? That's….rare! Have any idea who it is?" Ino asked with an interested tone.

It was very strange for Tsunade to make random personal requests like this. So Ino's interest was definitely peeked, freeing her from the cold clutches of boredom.

"No idea." Mrs. Yamanaka stated happily pulling on her coat. "I'll tell you all about it when I get home though. This being a request I'm sure it will be interesting!" She said getting an excited look.

Ino's mom was uniquely different then her daughter and belated husband. While Ino and Inoichi specialized in braking down the mind for interrogation and information gathering. Mrs. Yamanaka specialized in the reconstruction of it. She loved helping people piece their lives back together and to help them through their problems. It gave her joy in doing so. Thus at hearing of this special request she couldn't help but wonder with delight at what laid in store for her.

"Please do!" Ino said, giving her a happy smile watching her stroll to the shop's front entrance.

"Though please don't be so giddy like you usually are with patients…it gets really awkward." Ino stated blandly, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Oh hush, hush Ino! I can't help it if I enjoy my work!" Mrs. Yamanaka said, grabbing the handle to the front door and pulling it open. Sending a soft chime from the bells through the store.

"Now I must get going or ill be late." Mrs. Yamanaka said with a soft smile.

"Ya, Ya get out of here, hehe." Ino said cutely letting a loving smile grace her. "Have a great day, Love You!"

"Love you to sweaty!" Mrs. Yamanaka said, pulling the door close behind her and heading off towards the hospital.

Ino turned her attention back towards the magazine in front of her, but too lost in thought to read a single word.

(Mind) "Who on earth is so special that Lady Tsunade sent an urgent request to mom!?" Ino asked herself with a puzzled look. "And why the hell would they need an evaluation?"

Ino turned the pages slowly, lifting her vision to stare at some flowers that were by the front entrance.

(Mind) "The only person I could think o-…" Ino stopped, letting her mouth drop open slightly as her mind flashed to a fellow loud blond.

Ino closed her mouth growing a small grin.

(Mind) "Well mom….you do love your nutcases….let's see if you can handle him hehee." Ino thought happily, brushing her bangs to sit behind her ear thinking of the blond male. A slight blush reaching her cheeks.

(Mind) "That should be an interesting story when you get home." Ino thought happily, turning her attention back to her magazine never losing her slight pink tint and wide smile.

-Konoha Streets, Konoha East Side –

The streets of Konoha bustled with people as the late dinner rush had arrived. Young couples and family's walked casually through the streets enjoying each other's company. There was a soft mumble across the moving crowed as casual conversation was made back and forth. It left a soft calmness in the streets keeping the relaxed murmur of voices in the air.

This was instantly broken though as a yellow and grey blur rocketed through the streets. Weaving and jumping in and out of gaps in the crowd of people.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Naruto shouted, clenching the box from Sakura in his right hand while pumping violently with his left arm trying to increase his speed.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! TSUNADE WILL MURDER ME IF SHE FINDS OUT I WAS LATE!" Naruto hollered through the crowed finally breaking through the last bunch of people.

Looking up from his dead sprint Naruto could see light at the end of the tunnel as the large Konoha Hospital came into view.

(Mind) "YES! I CAN DO THIS! I WONT BE LATE!" Naruto yelled to himself happily, as he rocketed up the flight of stairs.

Rushing at the front entrance doors, there was barely enough time for them to mechanically open before he squeezed by without breaking pace. Rushing through the front waiting room and dodging nurses walking by. Naruto skid to a stop at the front desk with a loud squeak leaving a trail of smoke from his shoes in his wake.

The nurse at the front desk stared at the man in front of her with wide eyes, as he tried his best to catch his breath. Naruto rested his hands on his knees and kept his vision on the floor. Sweat dripping from his nose at a steady pace.

"(Pant)…appointment (Pant)….6 O'clock (Pant)….for Uzumaki." Naruto huffed out, gasping to try and catch his breath.

(Mind) "Man I'm out of shape!" Naruto thought, while wiping his brow with his sleeve.

The Nurse glanced to the clock next to her on her desk seeing it was 5:59. Turning her attention back to Naruto, he lifted his head to look at her.

"Never try (Pant)….and run 3 miles (Pant)… in 5 minutes (Pant)….it's stupid!" Naruto huffed out while giving the nurse a tired look.

"Riiiight." The nurse said questioningly, turning to look at the planner in front of her for Naruto's appointment.

Flipping the book open she carefully looked over the page. Finding what she was looking for, she taped her finger on the information.

"Ah! Here you are. You are to be seen in room 208, which is upstairs and down the hall!" The Nurse says while putting on a smile, turning to look at Naruto who was already on his way.

"Thank you!" Naruto called over his shoulder finally able to compose himself.

Naruto marched his way to the desired room of 208 stopping just in front of the door. The door was made of a slick wood with a nice red tint to it. There was no indication of whose office it was with the only information being the Large 208 on the upper left corner. Naruto stared at the door building himself up to enter.

(Mind) "Alright here we go…I RUN THIS SHIT! No doctor is going to tell me if I can be a ninja or not! I'm not 'mentally unwell' IM FINE!" Naruto roared to himself, swaying to each foot with a confident look.

Stepping forward Naruto grabbed the handle and flung the door open causing it to crash into the hall wall. Stepping Into the office Naruto jumped into the heroic pose he had done for Tsunade earlier.

"LISTEN HERE DOC! WHY DON'T YOU DO US BOTH A FAVOR AND PASS MY ASSES-" Naruto stopped hollering, realizing he was the only one in the room. A sweat drop appeared on his head.

Naruto looked left and right analyzing the room confirming he was the only one there. Clutching his fist as he got angry with embarrassment.

"I RAN ALL THAT WAY AND THERE'S NO ONE EVEN HERE! Naruto yelled, turning on his heal to pull the office door shut with a loud slam.

Turning, Naruto stomped his feet over to the laydown couch located next to the lone desk. He was mumbling curses to himself as he dropped down with a flop setting his present on the coffee table next to the couch. Crossing his arms and leaning back to rest against the cushion as he scanned the room.

(Mind) "Who the hell's fucking office is this any way!?" Naruto thought to himself in anger, looking for any clues around the room for who his therapist was going to be.

The office was an off white that all hospitals had on their walls. It always made Naruto feel uneasy and gave him the urge to burn the whole place to the ground. There was a lone window located right next to the couch Naruto was sitting on that had a beautiful view of the village. The Lone desk holding pictures of family and friends was in the left hand corner of the room. On the wall opposite to the desk was frames holding certificates of education and training. There was a lone plant next to the office entrance roughly the size of a small bush. It was in much better shape than Naruto's plants back home.

"Humph." Naruto grumbled to himself taking in the atmosphere of the room.

Turning his attention back to the two photos on the desk, Naruto leaned in observing them closely. The first picture was of a little girl with shoulder length blond hair and bright blue pupil less eyes. She was holding a bouquet of flowers with the Children's swings from the park were in the background. Naruto squinted his eyes at the picture. Swearing he had seen this girl before but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

(Mind) "Maybe we went to the academy with each other back in the day?" Naruto thought, shrugging to himself as he turned to examine the second picture located next to the first.

It showed a young blond man who seemed to be in his early twenties. He had bleach blond hair that he wore in a ponytail with the same pupil less blue eyes as the little girl in the first picture. He was standing on what seemed to be a beach where he was giving a cheesy thumbs up to the camera. Naruto squinted his eyes again leaning in close to the picture.

(Mind) "Where the hell have I seen these people before!?" Naruto thought, growing frustrated that he could feel he knew who these people were but couldn't peg them by these old photos. "AH man! This is going to drive me crazy!"

Naruto was cut from his thoughts as the office door slowly opened. Naruto quickly switched back to his prissy mood looking towards the doctor. He jumped to his feet off of the couch pointing his finger at the mystery person.

"HEY!...WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE-" Naruto shouted, as the door fully opened to reveal a beautiful woman. "Ma…king…..me…wait." Naruto trailed off, his eyes growing wide while growing a blush.

The woman standing in the door had to be in her late thirties or early forties. She had long brown hair that reached the middle of her back. She wore it down with a small red hair pin holding her bangs to the side. Her eyes were a soft hazel that popped with the slight makeup she wore. She had on the usual white robes all the doctors whore when they were on duty. Even with the robes on Naruto could see she was very beautiful. She was carrying a small cardboard box and a manila file in her hands. Though Naruto didn't pay much attention to what she was carrying.

"AH! Good you're here already Uzumaki-San. I'm so sorry for being late I had to change into my robes and grab your file." She spoke, walking towards her desk as the door closed behind her. "I hope you weren't waiting long?"

"Ahhh…welfkgn." Naruto mumbled, unable to articulate proper words.

She sat herself down into her desk chair spinning to face Naruto. Placing the box on the floor and lifting the file she carried. She flicked it open and read It quietly to herself.

"So you're the patient Tsunade wanted me to see so urgently eh? Well I see here that you haven't ever been to any other therapists before so I guess we will have to do a fool evaluation with not short cuts." She said quietly to herself as Naruto continued to stare at her with an open mouth.

"If I read her not right this is to see if you fit for duty correct?" She asked sweetly, Though Naruto didn't answer.

"Well I guess we should get started then eh? The quicker we get this done the quicker we can see if you can be a ninja again." She smiled at Naruto, pulling out her notebook and pen from her desk to jot down what she saw fit.

She started to write down the basic information such as the date and time as Naruto continued to stare. Finally pulling his mouth shut and shaking his head violently he was able to compose himself.

"M…ma'am?" Naruto said quietly, afraid to speak loudly for some reason.

"Hmm?" She hummed sweetly, looking up from what she was writing in her notebook.

Naruto Gulped.

"I…I'm happy you know who I am…but…w…who are you?" Naruto asked, staring at the woman blankly trying his best not to show his nervousness.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Uzumaki-San where are my manners?" she stated loudly, waving her hand in front of her face clearly embarrassed.

She stood from her chair and leaned over her desk placing a hand down for balance. Lifting her other arm and outstretching her hand gesturing for a hand shake, she Smiled.

"My Name is Ezra Yamanaka!" She stated happily.

Naruto leaned forward on the couch grasping her hand in his, shaking firmly. He had a concentrating stare on his face as he looked at the woman.

"Ezra…..Yamanaka…Ya…ma…na…ka" Naruto said slowly, contemplating the name before his eyes shot open, letting go of her hand abruptly. "YAMANAKA!" Naruto hollered, shock written on his face.

Naruto studied Ezra's Face as she looked back with wide eyes at his sudden outburst. The gears were turning in Naruto's head as he finally was able to put the dots together. Her jaw line, her complexion…her body, Naruto blushed. Naruto flung his eyes to the picture of the young girl on Ezra's desk now realizing who it was. He shot his vision looking back at her just as quickly. Extending his right arm out in front of him and pointing at her face Naruto Hollered.

"YOUR INO"S MOM ARENT YOU!?" Naruto screamed, causing Ezra to wince from the volume.

"Yes I am hehe!" She spoke softly, which threw Naruto off because the only other woman to ever talk to him in this tone was his mom Kushina.

Naruto didn't spend much time thinking about it though as the knowledge of her being a Yamanaka set in.

(Mind) "Wait…if she's a Yamanaka…..who specialize in mental torture…." Naruto's face grew even paler then it already was. Beginning to look around the room for the quickest means of escape. "I GOTTA GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! THIS LADYS GONNA MIND CRUSH ME!

Ezra watched with concerned eyes as Naruto flung his head in every direction clearly searching for something while sweating bullets. She finally caught on to what he was probably freaking out about. She giggled loudly bringing Naruto to stop his flailing and look at her confused.

"HEHE! You don't have to worry I'm not like my daughter who specializes in mental torture. I like to build the mind up not tear it down." She said happily, giving Naruto a reassuring look.

Naruto relaxed at the information. With her soft tone and innocent demeanor he couldn't help but trust her. Naruto smiled back

"Well that's really nice to hear!" Naruto said loudly.

Ezra smiled, deciding to bring the conversation to what he said before.

"You were in the same graduating class with Ino correct?" Ezra asked, sitting down, beginning to write in her notebook.

"Uh…Ya! We are both apart of the 122nd graduating class nicknamed the rookie 9." Naruto stated, settling back into the couch, lowering his voice again. "We are a lot older now but some of the elder ninja still call us the rooks haha." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head softly.

Ezra looked upon Naruto with soft eyes, returning the bright smile Naruto was giving her. He just seemed to radiate whatever mood he was in, whether being Joy or complete sorrow. She began to write this information down, urging Naruto to continue.

"Are you still close with the other rookies?" Ezra asked, Jotting small scribbles into the notebook.

"Are you joking!? They are my closest friends! That's still not even counting Lee, Tenten, and Kakashi-Sensei." Naruto said, a large smile on his face as his arms flung around emphasizing his every word. "They are my family basically. I would do anything to make anyone of them happy! I would lay my life down to protect them."

Ezra smiled listening to Naruto. She was happy Ino had a friend like Naruto.

"Do you feel they would do the same for you?" She asked, glancing up to look at Naruto with a lifted brow.

Naruto turned his attention towards the window overlooking the village. The sun was starting to set just above the great stone walls in the distance. The buildings glowed with the reds and purples of the sunset. It was a beautiful view. Naruto looked upon it with no emotion on his face seeming to be silently enjoying it.

"I think they would." Naruto spoke softly, a whisper causing Ezra to strain to hear him.

Thoughts of his friends popped in his head as he continued to look out the window. The last person's being Sakura smiling wide at him and Sasuke giving a sly smirk. "I know they would actually." Naruto said confidently, returning to his normal tone of voice.

Naruto spun his vision to look back at Ezra who was smiling wide at him. She was just staring at him, stopping herself from writing whatever she had been. She hummed to herself softly before turning back to the notebook to continue writing. Naruto raised his brow at her while crossing his arms at her actions. Jutting out his lower lip in a playful pout.

"What?" Naruto asked blankly.

"Huh?" Ezra looked from her writings with a confused look.

"Why did you look at me with that look and then hum like you knew something?" Naruto asked, leaning forward with squinted eyes.

Ezra smiled, giggling softly to herself, looking Naruto in the eyes happily.

"It's just that you are very close to your friends from what I can tell. Makes me happy Ino has someone in her life like you." Ezra spoke softly, flicking the few strands of hair that had fallen out of her face.

Naruto blushed at the compliment not used to being so openly acknowledged.

"Thank you…though I wouldn't worry about me needing to sacrifice myself for Ino, Haha!" Naruto said, pulling his hands behind his head linking his fingers together.

Ezra gave Naruto a confused look not understanding what he meant.

"What do you mean? Do you not get along with my daughter?" She asked, with growing concern on her face.

Naruto opened his eyes wide, shaking his hands in front of his face along with his head.

"No, no Ino and I are great friends I swear!" Naruto squealed trying to correct his mistake. Ezra let out a sigh of relief at hearing this. "I just mean that she's a super cool and badass ninja! She wouldn't need me to swoop in and rescue her!" Naruto smiled wide, seeing how happy this information made Ezra.

"I'm happy you say that Naruto. I will think of those words to keep me from worrying when she's out on missions," She said softly, obvious she deeply loved her daughter. "She also thinks very highly of you as well."

Naruto looked at her baffled. Not believing what she just said.

"What do you mean she thinks highly of me? The Ino I talk to always belittles me like I'm a bother!" Naruto stated, crossing his arms again with a flustered humph.

"Oh that's just her defense mechanism when she's uncomfortable with someone, but trust me. When it's only me and her and she talks about her friends…all I hear is great things about you." Ezra said, tilting her head to the side happily.

"Wow….I didn't think she thought anything good about me!" Naruto stated, a baffled look on his face. Crossing his legs and leaning against the coach. Naruto was thinking about this new side of Ino.

"Oh you would be surprised" Ezra said in a (I know something you don't know) tone.

"And what do you mean her defense when she's uncomfortable? Why the hell would she be uncomfortable around me!?" Naruto asked raising his eyebrow high while squinting his other eye.

Ezra Looked at Naruto blankly, a sweat drop forming on her head.

(Mind) "Wow….he really has no clue does he?" She asked herself. "His Understanding of woman is almost as bad as his fathers!" She thought jokingly.

"Oh don't worry too much about it." She said softly with a loving look.

(Mind) "I know you will find out eventually knowing my daughter hehee." She thought in a sweet tone.

Naruto huffed once again turning to look out the window. He stared out the window with solid blue eyes. Eyes that brought memories of old friends to Ezra's mind. She studied his face and his body. She thought he was almost a spitting image of her old crush.

"You know you look just like your father… its kind scary really." Ezra said sweetly, returning to sitting in her office chair, crossing her legs. "Very handsome if I do say so myself and I know I'm not the only one. (Cough) Ino (Cough)

Naruto's eyes grew wide at this sudden complement spinning to look at her quickly. Naruto did not registering the name between her fake coughs. Staring at her, whirling at all the new questions that came to mind at the mention of his dad.

"Y…you knew my dad!? You knew Minato!? Naruto asked loudly, looking from one of Ezra's eye's to the other.

Ezra sweat dropped again at how Naruto didn't catch her blatant attempt at showing Ino was interested in him.

(Mind) "Oh….whatever….shell just have to tell him….while she's beating him with a cardboard heart or something! Because if she isn't flat out blatant with this guy…. I doubt he will get it haha!" Ezra thought in laughter.

"Well of course! I knew Kushina as well." Ezra smiled. Turning, she pulling open a drawer next to her, lifting out a framed picture holding a fairly old photo.

She turned it over extending out for Naruto to take. Naruto leaned forward grasping the picture tightly as to not drop it. He stared at the picture with wide eyes. It was an old academy photo with _Graduating Class 107__th_Printed on top of the photo. Looking closely into the group of 13 year olds in the photo he could see Minato and Kushina standing off to the side. Next to them was a girl who Naruto could plainly see was a younger Ezra.

"We were all a part of the same graduating class. We stayed friends for a long time after as well." Ezra smiled, leaning forward to take back the picture.

Naruto handed over the picture while his eyes twinkled with delight at the new development. He had finally find someone who could tell him stories about his parents and help him feel more connected to his roots.

"That means you have tons of stories! Stories you can tell me!" Naruto said happily, a wide grin across his face as he bounced with a giggle.

"Oh yes! Tons!" Ezra said with equal happiness, feeding off of the emotions Naruto was emitting. "Though this isn't the place to be going down memory lane hehe!"

Naruto's mood dropped slightly, not wanting to be denied more information about his family. He quickly went back to smiling though, figuring he could come talk to her later now that he knew who she was and knowing where she lived.

"Well I guess you're right." Naruto said softly. "But can I come by your home sometime? I would LOVE to hear about them!"

Ezra finished writing down her note and looked back up towards the ecstatic Naruto.

"Sure I would love to talk to you about them sometime. It would be fun!" Ezra said happily.

(Mind) "I know Ino would like to have you over as well hehee." She thought with a dark laugh.

"Cool! Thank you very much!" Naruto said, putting on his widest smile yet. Completely overjoyed that he would get to hear about his parents' lives outside of being a ninja.

"Of course!... Now Naruto I hear your quite the talented ninja! My I hear some of those great stories I'm sure you have?" Ezra asked in a sly smile, reeling the oblivious Naruto into his evaluation.

"Sure!" Naruto sated loudly giving her a thumbs up.

Ezra was able to get Naruto to talk about his whole life basically after that. They spoke of his countless battles and all the training he's gone through over the years. They talked of Ero-Sennin and how much he respected him and missed him. She learned Naruto could play guitar and liked to write music in his free time. This surprised her momentarily. Naruto briefly touched upon Sasuke and the promise he made him and thus why he was so eager to get back into action after the past six months. He needed to become Hokage and keep Sasuke's promise alive. He talked about the conversation he just had with Sakura a little while ago, pulling out his new jacket and talked about how cool it was. Naruto's stories touched her…he was a wonderful man. He was a little banged up…but he could find his old self again with time and effort.

The appointment Naruto had been dreading turned into an enjoyable hour long conversation.

Ezra finished writing down the last of her notes and closed her notebook. She looked over to Naruto who was once again looking out the window at the now dark village only lit by small beams of moonlight. She coughed to get his attention.

"Well I would say… I have all I need to give a proper answer to lady Tsunade on your condition." Ezra said softly, not wanting to pierce the calming silence in the room at the moment.

Naruto looked away from the window giving Ezra a genuinely confused look.

"What do you mean? You haven't asked any questions or run any tests yet." Naruto said.

"What do you mean Naruto-San we've been doing your evaluation the entire time" Ezra said calmly.

"All we've done is talk about stuff….you haven't like…. asked me anything that can help you tell if I'm mentally well." Naruto said, watching as she smiled at him. Confusing Naruto even more.

"But that's what we just did." She said, trying not to laugh at the look Naruto was giving her. "I learned about your past and your dreams. I learned about how you feel about the people around you and how much they mean to you….I even learned about your current mental psyche with the way you spoke and how creatively you talked of your stories."

Naruto stared at her realizing she had been playing him the entire time. Testing him in subtle ways with her questions and comments…she was good. Naruto was impressed.

"Well….damn…..that was…..painless." Naruto said with a slightly shocked look on his face. "I expected you to like….probe my mind with some jutsu or something."

"We could still do that if you want Naruto-San." Ezra said, getting an evil grin as she wiggled her fingers menacingly.

"Uh….no thanks." Naruto said with a whimper, shivering in fear.

"Oh too bad….maybe next time!" Ezra said, returning to her sweet tone and smile.

Naruto relaxed as well before realizing that meant she had the answer to weather he would be allowed back.

"Wait so if were done…. That means you know if I can be a ninja again!" Naruto jumped onto his feet as he filled with excitement. Ezra looked at him casually not effected this time by his mood.

"Yes….yes I do." She said casually while getting up, placing her notebook onto her desk. She leaned down and picked up the box she brought in with her. Naruto watched her with a growing fear with her sudden loss of emotion.

(Mind) "OH NO! She's going to fail me…..please don't fail me!" Naruto pleaded to himself as he gulped.

Walking around her desk, Ezra carried the box over to Naruto extending it forward for him to take. Naruto returning to sitting on the couch took the box from her and placed it on his lap. He studied the box reading the _For Safe Keeping _written on the side. Naruto's eyes widened, realizing it was the same box Tsunade carried out of her office earlier.

"I was told to give this to you when I made my decision." Ezra said, standing right in front of Naruto waiting for him to open it.

Naruto turned his attention back to the box wondering what laid inside. He nervously reached for the lid.

(Mind) "What the hell is in here!? An I'm sorry letter from Tsunade for not passing!? A permanent ban from the Konoha Military!?" Naruto was freaking out as he lifted the lid with a shaky hand.

Opening the box there was nice sparkly purple cloth wrapped on the inside lining the walls. There seemed to be a foam under the cloth protecting the object that sat in the middle. Naruto pulled the object from the box looking at it with a huge Smile spreading across his face. Tears walloped in the corner of his eyes.

The box held a brand new spotless Konoha Forehead protector with a long black Cloth as the straps. Just like his old one.

"Welcome back Naruto-San, you passed!" Ezra said extending her hand out for a congratulatory handshake.

Naruto shot from his seated position, enveloping Ezra in a huge hug as Naruto bounced and hollered in joy.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Naruto cheered as he finally letting go of the bewildered doctor.

Once set back down on her own feet, Ezra flattened out the wrinkles Naruto had just put in her robe. She watched him dance around the room holding his forehead protector out in both hands like it was Simba from the Lion King, she laughed.

"Calm down Naruto-San, hehe!" Ezra laughed out, grabbing Naruto's shoulders to stop his bouncing. "I'll send the paperwork to lady Tsunade ok. Why don't you head home and relax. I'm sure you will have a busy next couple weeks now that you're reinstated." She let go of Naruto now that he was calmer.

"You got it Mrs. Yamanaka! I'll head straight home so I can get up early to get some Missions!" Naruto spoke in joy as he tied his new Forehead protector to his head. "Thank you SO, SO much Mrs. Yamanaka! This busy day just turned out to be worth it!

Naruto Bounded to the office door flinging it open. He dashed down the hall chanting to himself that "he was back."

Ezra sighed to herself, listening to his voice and loud jogging down the hall.

"NARUTO!" She called loudly, but somehow still in a sweet tone.

The sound of running and chanting stopped for a second before the sounds of steps grew louder indicating he was running back to her office. Poking his head back in the room from around the corner, Naruto smiled.

"YESSS MRS. YAMANAKA! Naruto yelled loudly, joy still written all over his voice and face.

Ezra pointed towards the box on her coffee table with a cute smile.

"You're forgetting your present from Sakura." She said quietly, trying to hold back her giggles from the boy's antics.

Naruto grew wide eyes and dashed in the room grabbing the box and returning to the entrance of the door with a blur.

"Haha, Thanks!... that would of sucked huh?" Naruto said in an embarrassed voice, while rubbing the back of his head above his headband. "Thanks again Mrs. Yamanaka have an awesome night!" Naruto turned towards the door, ready to take off again… but was stopped.

"Wait Naruto before you go!" Ezra said quite loudly, causing Naruto to look over his shoulder one last time. "Call me Ezra please." She said with a most loving smile she had shown all evening.

Naruto stopped his jogging in place for a brief second before giving her an equally sweet grin.

"You got it Ezra-Sama!" Naruto said happily, before taking off down the hall again, leaving for good.

Ezra giggled slightly to herself. She turned and picked up her notebook on her desk as she walked to the door. Flicking the light switch down and casting the room in darkness she pulled her office door shut with a loud click. Turning to her left to look the direction Naruto had just taken off in, she sighed.

(Mind) "What a sweet boy…my daughter has good taste." she said in a cute tone. "Now if she would jest get over that other boy…..oh well….time heals all wounds they say."

And with that final thought, she turned on her heal and started walking to the doctors lounge in the opposite direction.

-Hokage Office-

Tsunade's Office was quiet with the only sound being her pen scribbling on paper. The room was covered in darkness from the lack of sun through the windows. The only light source being a desk lamp that illuminated the small papers on the wood desk.

(Knock) (Knock) (Knock)

The front door to Tsunade's office clacked. Bringing her to look up from the last bit of paper work that needed tending to before heading home.

"Come in!" Tsunade called loudly, leaning back in her chair waiting for whoever it was to enter.

The door creaked open, letting Shizune walk in slowly, holding what seemed to be a letter in her left hand.

"Ah! Shizune, what is it?" Tsunade asked in her usual confident tone, as Shizune walked up to the front of her desk.

"I just got a letter from Ezra Yamanaka me lady. It seems to be a report on something…should I save it until tomorrow?" She asked, holding up the envelope for Tsunade to see in the dim light.

"No just give it here, I'll take a look at it real quick." Tsunade said with an emotionless tone, reaching out for the letter.

Shizune nodded and handed over the paper. She gave a quick bow, before turning to leave the room. At the sound of the door closing Tsunade started breaking the glued seal. Lifting the piece of paper from the envelope Tsunade turned and dropped the envelope it in the trash can next to her desk. Unfolding the letter lazily while angling it in the light from her lamp so she could read….she smiled.

_Dear Lady Tsunade, _

_I have just finished my hour and half long session with Mr. Uzumaki Naruto. I have run my questions and subtle methods of testing by him. With this being said, I am very happy to report Mr. Uzumaki passed with flying colors! He showed great character and willingness to understand his surroundings. His memory was spit spot and he showed no falter in his mental psyche. Though he does have his quirks that should be looked out for until he is fully well again, but no real problems. I have promptly given him his new headband and signed the paperwork for his reinstatement. I am Honored that you personally requested me for this task and hope this news gives you great joy. _

_Until Next Time_

_-Ezra Yamanaka_

Tsunade refolded the letter and placed it on her desk softly. Spinning in her chair she stopped herself to stare out the window over the dark village. She still had a large smile on her face.

(Mind) "Well….starting tomorrow…things are going to get a lot more stressful around here." Tsunade thought, closing her eyes slowly. "Welcome back kid."

-Yamanaka Residence-

The front door to the Yamanaka house creaked open slowly. Ezra walked through the door into the entrance hall closing it behind her. Pulling off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack, she sat down on the small step to unbutton her shoes. She smelled something delicious in the air which meant Ino was cooking.

"Welcome home mom!" Ezra heard from behind her.

Turning to look over her shoulder she saw Ino poking her head around the corner from the kitchen at the end of the hall.

"Hello Sweaty." Ezra called, turning to continue taking off her shoes.

Ino walked back into the kitchen tending to the dinner she was cooking.

"I made your favorite mom! Ino said loudly, as to be heard through the house.

Ezra walked around the corner taking in a deep breath to savor the smell.

"Curry huh!? Thank you Ino that's very sweet" Ezra said happily, walking over to the cabinets to pull out the plates and utensils.

"I figured I'd make this for you since I get to hear how the Appointment with Naruto went! Ino said happily, as she added the spices and seasonings to the sauce.

Ezra stopped gathering the materials for the table a looked at Ino Baffled. Giving her an up and down look with a raised brow from over her shoulder.

"How did you find out it was with Naruto-San?" Ezra asked.

Ino shrugged, not looking away from stirring the meal.

"Lucky wild ass guess." Ino said sweetly, as she smiled to herself. "Plus you seem emotionally exhausted and Naruto definitely has that effect on people."

Ezra laughed out loud at that, turning to walk towards the table with the plates, cups, and spoons in her hands. Handing the plates to Ino on her way bye.

"Yes…he definitely does doesn't he hehee!" Ezra laughed, placing the materials on the table and distributing them to the proper places.

Ino walked over to the table placing down two plates filled with curry and rice. She wiped her hands on her apron before pulling it off and placing on the counter next to the sink. She returned to the table where both woman sat down to enjoy their dinner.

Both clasped their hands together with a smile on their faces.

"Itadakimasu!" They both proclaimed in unison. (Itadakimasu-I gratefully receive)

Ezra instantly grabbed her spoon and dug into her favorite meal. Humming with pleasure at the delicious flavors. Ino however didn't touch her food. Choosing to rather place her elbows on the table next to her plate, leaning her head on her hands as she stared at her mom sweetly. Waiting for her to notice her gaze.

Ezra looked up from here meal with puffed out cheeks, noticing Ino starring at her with a wide grin.

"Whauft?" Ezra asked with a full mouth, growing uncomfortable under Ino's gaze.

Ino leaned further over the table getting an even bigger smile.

"SOOOO!...How did the evaluation go?" Ino asked excitedly.

Ezra swallowed the large amount of food in her mouth with an audible gulp. She lifted her napkin to her mouth patting her lips lightly before placing it back on the table. Closing her eyes and growing a serious look on her face. Ino was about to burst with anticipation feeling whatever her mother was going to say was going to be good! With a deep breath Ezra spoke.

"Can't tell ya!" She said calmly, opening her eyes to give Ino an evil look.

Ino slammed her head on the table shocked and thrown off by the answer. Re-lifting her head showing a bright red mark on her forehead, she shot her arm out pointing angrily at Ezra.

"What the hell do you mean you can't say!? You told me you would tell me all about it! Ino Hollered, frustrated.

Ezra smiled at her daughter, laughing internally at her actions.

"I can't tell you because it was a special request from the Hokage…meaning." Ezra lifted her fingers to her lip's pulling them across to signify a zipper. "It's sealed."

Ino slumped down into her chair with anger as she grabbed her spoon and pulled her food in front of her.

"That's bull!" Ino hollered, beginning to stuff her face with food to help keep herself calm.

Ezra watched her daughter, giggling to herself. Watching her so upset that she wasn't going to get any information on her crush. Though Ino had no idea that her mother knew of her fondness of the boy, but she had known for a few months now. Ever since during a conversation they had where she complimented Naruto…Ino never complimented people. So Ezra had been waiting for Ino to make her move but she never had. Come to find out Naruto had locked himself away for a while only returning to the world recently.

Ino continued to smash her face with food mumbling between bites how bull shit it was she couldn't hear of the appointment. Ezra giggled again, she would throw her daughter a small bone.

"He Plays Guitar…" Ezra said softly, causing Ino to stop shoveling down her food.

"W…what?" Ino asked, giving her mom a confused look.

"Naruto….he plays guitar…says he writes music as well….interesting no? And you don't have to worry….he passed…he's a shinobi once again."

Ino Stared at her mom blankly. Not knowing how to respond to the information. Ezra picked up her spoon again preparing to finish her meal.

"That's all you're getting from me though so hush it!" Ezra said evilly, taking a bite of her meal moaning again at the taste.

Ino also returned to eating her meal much slower than before. The table drifted into silence with the sound of spoons hitting plates and the awkward humms from Ezra with every bite being the only breaks. Ino drifted to her thoughts with the lack of conversation.

(Mind) "He plays guitar!?...Naruto!?...The Naruto….Since fucking when!? Ino thought to herself, scrunching her face as she thought. "And he writes music….I wonder if he sings. Wait!...I wonder if he would play and sing for me!?"

Visions of Naruto playing his guitar while singing sweetly to Ino in the moonlight made her heart flutter. Bringing a pink tint to her cheeks. She continued to daydream about the blond man as she finished her dinner silently. She must have completely spaced out after finishing her food, because she was finally pulled from her thoughts to snapping fingers in front of her face.

"EY! Ino are you in there!?" Ezra called loudly, trying to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh sorry mom…must have spaced out." Ino said in a whisper, blinking to regain her focus.

"You think!? You've been sitting there for 30 minutes. Ezra sighed out. "Listen I already did the dishes while you were in la la land so I'm heading to bed."

Ino blinked, looking at the table realizing all the dishes where gone and the table wiped clean.

(Mind) Wow…I really did space out." Ino thought, shocked that it was even possible for her to be completely oblivious to the world around her.

"Ok mom…good night…" Ino said softly, as Ezra leaned down a placed a quick peck on her forehead.

"Night sweety, Love you." Ezra said, making her way to the stairs and walking up to retire to her room.

Ino stood up from her seat, pushing it under the table with a slightly loud screech. Turning she walked out of the kitchen, flicking the light switch off. She walked down the hall to the front door, turning the bolt to lock the door. Reaching over she flicked the switch to turn off the front porch and hallway light. Ino was now in complete darkness, with the only light being the moon pouring in through the small window next to the door. Ino stopped and looked out at the moon. Letting the dim light glow over her.

(Mind) "So you're a ninja again huh Naruto?" Ino thought to herself, growing a small loving smile "Let's hope we get teamed up soon…. I wouldn't mind helping you pick up a couple more of those pieces."

Ino hummed to herself a tune as she turned to walk towards her room with a sway in her hips. Ready to let her dreams wash her away to thoughts of her fellow loud Blond. She could feel in her bones that the next couple of months were going to be exciting.

….if only she had a clue.

-Naruto's Apartment-

The front door to Naruto's apartment creaked open with a slow swing. Naruto walked in dragging his feet tiredly. The events and high emotions of the day finally caught up with Naruto making him feel exhausted. His eyes were half open and his mouth agape slightly. He Un-pocketed all of his belongings onto the counter next to the door. Pulling his foregead protector off and placing it on the counter. He reached out, plugging in his phone to charge with a small ding at the recognition of the electricity from the socket. He then leaned down to unbutton his sandals. Flicking them off of his feet lazily, not bothering to see where they landed, he strolled to his room.

Entering his room he tossed the box holding his new outfit into his closet floor too tired to hang it up properly. He was just going to wear it tomorrow anyways. Still standing in front of his closet, Naruto reached up and unzipped his grey jacket. Shrugging his shoulders and wiggling his arms he let it fall to the floor with a ruffle. Putting his foot under the jacket he lifted his leg up quickly, kicking it into his closet lazily. Reaching forward he slid the closet door closed. Naruto's stomach growled loudly causing him to look down with dead eyes.

(Mind) "Foooooood." Naruto thought to himself slowly.

He turned towards his bedroom door and walked through the trash littered floor. He marched like a mindless zombie through the hall with a slouch in his shoulders and his arms hanging lifelessly by his side. He was way too tired and hungry to care.

Reaching the kitchen, Naruto continued his lazy march to the front of his fridge. He stopped and stood in front of it for 5 minutes doing nothing. He eventually blinked a couple times realizing he was in the kitchen. He looked at the fridge with seemingly lifeless eyes.

(Mind) "Fooooooood." Naruto thought, reaching forward grasping the handle.

Naruto yanked the door open as he stared inside with dead tired eyes…the fridge was barren. The only thing inside being a month passed date carton of milk that even as tired as he was, wasn't stupid enough to drink.

(Mind) "No Fooooood." Naruto thought with no emotion, blinking slowly at the cold, empty box.

Naruto shut the door with a grumble as he turned to the cabinet above the stupid empty fridge.

He reached up and pulled the two cabinet doors open. This being the spot where he kept all of his beloved cup ramen…it was completely empty. Naruto let his arms fall back to his side loosely, as he looked at the cabinet blankly. His left eye twitched.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS ALL MY FOOD!" Naruto shouted towards the heavens.

(Mind) **"You don't have any idiot! Remember? That's why you left your house in the first place." **Kurama stated, rolling his eyes.

Naruto looked down at the floor with sad eyes.

"Oh ya….that's right huh…" Naruto said quietly, before flinging his head back towards to ceiling. "FUUUUUUUUUUUCK! I'M TOO TIRED TO GO THE DAMN STORE! NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MORNING!"

Kurama laughed to himself, reseeding back into the subconscious of Naruto's mind. Naruto grumbled curses to himself as he walked lazily back to his room. Flopping on his bed face first, Naruto turned to look out his window, his face buried in his pillow. Despite his hunger and fatigue, Naruto looked out at the bright moon with excitement.

(Mind) "Well…it all restarts tomorrow." Naruto thought, taking a deep breath. "Time to get back to it! Look out world the Blazing Angel of Konoha is back and ready for action!"

Naruto let his eyes fall heavily as he drifted off to sleep. Pumped for tomorrow for the first time in months. The feeling his life was about to get exciting.

…If only he knew.

-Unidentifiable Location-

6 figures cloaked in shadows sat around a large wooden table. There was little light in the room except for a lone candle sitting in the center of the table. The dim light did little to brighten the room leaving the figures faces unseen. They all sat quietly waiting for someone to speak.

"Why have we all decided to gather after all this time?" One of the shadowed figures spoke with the deep voice of a male. "Is it time to gather the pieces?"

"We should! The day of the black moon is only 6 months away!" Another figure spoke, this time the voice of a female. "If we don't have all 6 pieces by then we will miss our chance!"

"Oh hush! You know we won't miss our deadline." Another female voice spoke out, though hers sounded to be younger. "You must be stupid if you think we would!?"

"WHO THE FUCK YOU CALLING STU-" The first girl yelled back, but was interrupted.

"ENOUGH!" A loud voice rattled throughout the room. "Please be quite while I speak."

The two woman stopped their bickering and focused on the second Man who had yelled. He held a deep voice but spoke softly. Even in the dark you could see he held himself with proper posture and pride. Obvious that he was the leader.

"Yes, sir" Both women said in unison, calming themselves and sinking into their seats.

The man placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together. He raised his vision to look out at his five followers.

"To answer your question Jurobii." The leader spoke out softly, referring the first man to speak. "I have indeed asked you all here so we may begin gathering the 6 Gifts of The sage of six paths."

The other 5 figures smiled at this. Happy they were finally going unleash their plan.

"We will begin to gather the six _Miru Hito_ (The Beholder) of Light, Darkness, Wisdom, Strength, Purity, and Sin." The leader spoke softly, almost like he was an older man. "We will gather all six powers and then on the night of the Black Moon….we will get what we desire."

"Excellent!" A new voice chimed in, this being the one of a young man. "When shall we start?" he spoke in a sinister tone.

"Tonight." The Leader spoke again as he slid a photo out over the table for all to see.

It was a picture of a small girl, no more than seven years old. The members of the table looked at it without emotion.

"She is the _Miru Hito_ of Purity….the first piece to our puzzle." The leader spoke.

The group of people smiled wide at this information.

"Kira, Haru!" The leader spoke out suddenly, with a confident and loud tone.

The two females who were bickering before snapped to attention.

"Yes Sir!?" They said once again in unison, with a nervous tone in their voices.

"Bring her to me…" the man spoke softly, pointing to the picture.

The two females looked at each other and smiled wickedly. One leaning over to grasp the picture to take with them.

"Gladly." One of the females spoke out, as they both stood from their seats. With a turn, they both silently walked away into the darkness of the room.

"What about us old man? Jurobii spoke out.

The leader slid another photo across the table for them to see. This picture held what seemed to be a criminal mug shot of a young man. He looked to be in his twenties with a prickly unshaven face.

"You three will fetch the bonding opposite of Purity…you will fetch the _Miru Hito _of Sin." The leader spoke.

The man next to Jurobii leaned forward and picked up the photo as he spoke out.

"It will be done quickly sir." The man said, sliding the photo into his vest pocket.

With that, the three men stood up and walked away silently just as the women Kira and Haru had.

With the leader being the last in the room he sat quietly. He pulled out four more pictures, laying them out on the table in front of him. He starred at each photo for a couple of minutes, before moving onto the next. He did so until he reached the fourth and final photo. Leaning his shaky left hand forward he picked up the picture. In the dim light provided from the candle you could see his left hand was taped for some reason. Holding the photo up to his face he studied it, a small wicked smile crept to his face.

"Ah… I've heard so much about you…A jinchuuriki of the 9 great tailed beast and blessed the Yin power from the great sage... quite a powerful boy you are…..I hope to test that power…_Miru Hito _of Light." He giggled to himself, gripping the picture tightly causing it to crinkle. "We will meet soon….Uzumaki Naruto."

The candle on the table blew out. The room was cast into pitch black darkness…..there was a sudden silence. The room was now empty.

END CHAPTER 4


	6. Chapter 5 Mission Start! (Fixed)

((FORMATTING FIX!))

(Sorry for the compressed chapter, here it is re-uploaded to my usual format. Hope you can enjoy the chapter much more easily now! Sorry for the mix up.)

(AN: So I just want to send a huge shout out to my new Beta! I'll keep her name anonymous for her sake but she knows who she is! She really is helping me get the grammar aspect of my story under control! Just by reading through it after she helped clean up the chapter I can see how much better it flows. I hope you guys agree and the new structuring she helped put together makes it a more enjoyable and easier read! As always hope you all enjoy and look forward to reviews.)

Chapter 5 Mission Start!

(BANG) (BANG) (BANG)

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled, banging on Naruto's front door and rattling the hinges with the force.

"Mmmmg…" Naruto grumbled, pushing his face further into his pillow, not wanting to wake up just yet.

(BANG) (BANG) (BANG)

"NARUTO I SWEAR TO GOD IM NOT DOING THIS SHIT ANYMORE! ANSWER YOUR FUCKING DOOR!" Sakura hollered, her voice being slightly muffled by the walls.

(Mind) "Fuck off, whoever you are!" Naruto thought in a tired tone.

"NNAARRUUTTOO!" Sakura hollered even louder.

"Oh…for fuck's sake…." Naruto grumbled, irritation in his tired voice.

Naruto rolled to his back, now fully awake and staring at his fan slowly spinning on the ceiling. His eyes half open, Naruto rolled to get out of bed. He marched lazily through his room, kicking an empty ramen cup in frustration at having been woken up. He made his way down the short hall to his front door. It continued to be rattled with being knocked on so forcefully, which did nothing for Naruto's grumpy mood. The last two weeks since being reinstated had been utter hell enough without this annoyance.

Tsunade had him running ragged with all sorts of low D rank mission. He was doing ridiculous things like babysitting small children for lazy parents, or mowing villagers' lawns - the whole block's lawns! He even had to help clean out the Inuzuka clan's dog kennels one day... That would leave mental scars for life. Tsunade obviously didn't want Naruto to be on higher end missions yet, but this was bull shit in Naruto's eyes. He wanted to get some action, not care for the elderly or some other crap. He was going to explode with anger if he had one more stupid D rank mission. So to say Naruto was grumpy… would be an understatement.

(Mind) "Whoever this is… is going to freaking die!" Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto reached his front door with a stomp and grumble. He reached forward, unbolted his door quickly, and with a grand flourish pulled it open. Sakura swung her hand at the door again and met with thin air, her eyes slightly widening at its sudden movement. Naruto glared at Sakura with half open eyes.

"WWWWWWHHHHHAT!" Naruto screamed in anger, not realizing who he was raising his voice too.  
Naruto was met with a heavy smack to the top of his skull, sending his vision downward as a lump rose on his head. His already blurry vision worsened tenfold as he raised his head to try and focus on the pissed off Sakura.

"Who the hell do you think you're yelling at, asshole!?" Sakura yelled as she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her right foot quickly.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sakura as he rubbed his now sore head. He re-straightened himself, never breaking eye contact with Sakura. He chose to ignore her question.

"What are you doing here, Sakura-Oneechan?" Naruto asked, regaining his tired tone while dropping his hand to his side. "It's six in the damn morning."

Sakura looked at Naruto with a twitch in her eye, trying not to hit him again.

"First off Naruto, it's freaking noon, and second, go get your stuff on. We got a mission." Sakura stated, looking Naruto up and down seeing he was in nothing but his boxers and a black muscle shirt.

Finally able to get his blurry vision focused, Naruto noticed what Sakura was wearing. Sakura was in her usual ninja uniform with the only difference being she wore the new black headband she got from Naruto two weeks prior.

Naruto didn't get excited at this information though, thinking it was going to be another stupid ass D rank mission.

"Great! What do we have to do? Round up some stray cats that a lady lost?" Naruto asked sarcastically. "Because if I have to do one more stupid D rank mission I'm gonna put my foot up Tsunade's a-"

Sakura popped Naruto on the head again, rolling her eyes at how annoying he was being.

"I don't know what type of mission it is, but whether it's an S rank or a D rank you will smile and freaking do it!" Sakura told Naruto, a slight tinge of killing intent beginning to emit from her. "Now shut up, and go get ready!"

Naruto looked up from the floor, rubbing the now second lump on his head grumpily. Naruto reached forward and shut his door loudly as he mumbled curses to himself. He walked away into his apartment to get his gear.

Ten minutes later Naruto returned, walking through the door and locking it. Sakura could see he was wearing his new jacket and Jonin pants she had gotten him. He wore his long black forehead protector on his now cut hair. The sleeves of his jacket were pushed up on his elbows. Both of his hands were taped in Orange athletic tape that ran up his forearms. His right hand was completely covered to help conceal his Yin symbol given to him by the sage of six paths, the fingers on his left hand left uncovered. He had the same orange tape on his shins, holding his pants in place. He wore his old black sandals that were a little old, but matched the outfit perfectly.

"Well look at you! Do I know what looks good on you, or do I know what looks good on you?" Sakura asked happily, looking him up and down with a smile.

Naruto blushed at her compliment. Looking away from her and crossing his arms, Naruto smiled.

"Ya, I know it looks bad ass on me, so let's just go already," Naruto said nervously as he started walking away.

Sakura giggled at his shyness and followed him to the Hokage tower.

-Hokage Tower-

After 20 minutes, Sakura and Naruto made it to the tower. They made their way through the main entrance and up the stairs. They reached the top floor and walked passed Shizune's desk, giving her a hello and wave.

Shizune was ecstatic to see Naruto trying to return to his old life after being a shut-in for so long. She had run into him when he was picking up a mission from Tsunade a couple days ago and went crazy. She was so happy to see Naruto that she bought him a whole month's supply of cup ramen, which he happily accepted. Naruto was beginning to see that his friends didn't hate him for the war. It warmed his heart and helped push him forward even more. He still had doubts, though, being that he hadn't seen all of his friends yet, only Ino and Sakura really so far.

Naruto walked past the desk and grabbed the handle to the large office. Turning and pushing it open gently, he and Sakura walked into the room. They noticed they were the only ones in the room besides Tsunade, who sat at her desk going through papers. She didn't look up from her work to see who had entered.

Naruto marched loudly over to Tsunade's desk as Sakura shut the door behind them. Naruto stopped in front of the wooden desk before he struck his hero pose.

"OY! You rang, Baa-Chan!?" Naruto asked loudly making Tsunade and Sakura wince. "Got a mission for us that's not a freaking D rank!?"

Tsunade looked up from her desk slightly, sending Naruto a glare as Sakura shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"No Naruto, it's not a D rank mission," Tsunade said calmly. "Now shut up and wait for the rest of your squad for this mission to arrive!"

Naruto looked at her confused as he glanced at Sakura next to him and back to Tsunade.

"It's not just Sakura-Oneechan and I?" Naruto asked, throwing a thumb in Sakura's direction.

Tsunade was about to respond, but was stopped as the office door opened. Naruto and Sakura turned to see who was entering as Tsunade looked between them. Three people strolled into the office, stopping when they saw Naruto and Sakura. All three grew wide eyes at seeing Naruto.

"Actually, Naruto... here they are," Tsunade said from behind Naruto and Sakura.  
Sakura beamed and ran up to the three Ninja.

"Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, you guys are our teammates for this mission!?" Sakura asked, excitement obvious in her voice.

"It would seem that way, Sakura…" Shikamaru said lazily, as he turned to look back at Naruto.

Naruto stared back at the three people who were looking at him. He felt uncomfortable under their gaze and shifted awkwardly in place, waiting for them to say what he knew was coming.

"NARUTO!" Choji yelled, running up to Naruto and giving him a large hug.

Choji lifted Naruto off of his feet and shook him left and right, causing Naruto's head to flail crazily.

"It's so good to see you, pal! Ino told us you were out and about again, but it's different actually seeing you in person!" Choji said happily, setting Naruto back onto his feet.

Naruto put his hand on his back and pushed forward, causing it to pop several times loudly. Choji's hugs could cripple a man if he squeezed hard enough. Naruto looked towards Choji and put on a fake smile for him. Naruto was still not comfortable with his old friends yet.

"It's good to see you too, Choji…" Naruto said quietly.

Shikamaru walked up to Naruto, stopping next to Choji. He studied Naruto closely, but not obviously. He noticed his new outfit and look. He noticed how flat his eyes looked compared to how bright they usually were. He noticed how his energy was different… he wasn't as sure of himself as he used to be. He looked like Naruto…But he didn't hold himself like Naruto.  
Shikamaru blinked, dropping his critical thoughts and bringing a half smile to his face. He raised his hand up, gesturing for a handshake.

"Good to see you Naruto. We missed you out in the real world," Shikamaru said as Naruto reached forward and shook his hand happily.

"Good to see you too, bud!" Naruto said with a wide genuine smile, not having to fake his enthusiasm.

Naruto and Shikamaru had always gotten along ever since they were kids. Naruto has great respect for Shikamaru's knowledge and brilliance both on and off the battle field. Naruto always thought that if he could change one thing about himself, he would wish he had Shika's brains. He saw Shikamaru as a great friend. Sasuke would always be Naruto's best friend, but if he had to choose a new one besides Sakura... it would be Shikamaru.

Shikamaru had very similar thoughts towards Naruto. He was impressed with his usual high energy and personality. Shikamaru was brilliant, but on the battle field he would say without a doubt in his mind that Naruto was a better Ninja. He respected Naruto and saw him as someone he could follow anywhere. Shikamaru would never admit it… but Naruto was his role model.

Naruto let go of Shikamaru's hand and laughed slightly.

"Ya, Ino said that you guys would talk about me all the time, haha." Naruto said, pointing his thumb over towards the blond female.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder towards Ino, raising his eyebrow and giving her a confused look. She hadn't moved from where they stopped when they entered the room. She had a large pink blush on her face, and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. She was looking at Naruto like he was the most brilliant thing she had ever seen in her life. Shikamaru was thrown off.

(Mind) "What's with her?" Shikamaru thought lazily.

Ino continued to stare at Naruto as her mind ran wild. She kept a calm face besides her massive blush.

(Mind) "YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS! OH MY GOD YESSSSS! A MISSION WITH NARUTO!" Ino hollered in joy internally, as her inner self did a frolicking dance. "I have been waiting for this ever since he got reinstated! This is the best day ever! Look at him! His new outfit…..he looks so ….HOT! I could just…..just….."

Ino was shaken from her inner joy and ogling when a pair of fingers began snapping in front of her face. Ino blinked and looked away from Naruto to see it was Sakura. She had a sly look on her face, knowing exactly what Ino had been thinking.

"You're drooling you know." Sakura said sweetly, poking Ino in the side playfully.

Ino grew even redder as she wiped the side of her mouth quickly.

"Can it, Billboard Brow!" Ino said, flustered, as she marched away from Sakura over to Choji and Shikamaru.

Sakura hummed to herself sweetly, placing her hands behind her back and intertwining her fingers. She strolled after Ino towards the Hokage desk, stopping next to the group.  
Naruto turned away from his friends and towards Tsunade, giving her a wide grin with excitement.

"OK, if these guys are going, this MUST be a good mission!" Naruto declared pointing over his shoulder towards the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. "So what do you have in mind, Baa-Chan!?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Tsunade sighed at his enthusiasm, secretly thinking how much she had missed this side of Naruto.

"Can't tell you yet, Naruto. We are still missing the last member." Tsunade said blandly, leaning forward and placing her chin in her palm.

Naruto blinked, wondering who the hell they could possibly be waiting for. They already had a five man team… who were they missing? The Door once again opened behind the group. Turning, they all watched the last member of their squad enter the room.

(Mind) "Oh… You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Ino thought in an angry hiss, watching as the man who just entered closed the door and walked forward.

"Sai? ... So you're our last member, eh!?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sai stopped just in front of the group of fellow Ninja, sending a forced smile with closed eyes to each one of them. He tried to ignore the hate filled glare Ino was sending his way.

"Ah! Dickless, it's so nice to see you not being a complete loser anymore." Sai said happily, never breaking his smile from his face.

Naruto twitched in anger, sending out a hateful growl towards his teammate. Sakura tried to stifle a laugh at the interaction, placing a hand over her mouth and turning away. Naruto flicked his attention towards Sakura, giving her a glare.

"Ahem," Tsunade cleared her throat.

The group turned their attention away from Sai and back to Tsunade who had a look of disinterest. Placing both elbows on the desk and folding her hands in front of her mouth, she looked at the group.

"Now that you all are here, I can begin," Tsunade said flatly.

Naruto grew an excited smile, wishing for something super cool like an assassination or a search and rescue! He began rubbing his hands together again, snickering in anticipation. The rest of the group looked at him with judgmental looks except for Ino, who smiled sweetly at his antics.

"This is an A rank guard duty mission," Tsunade informed, causing Naruto to get even more excited.

"Who are we guarding that it requires A-rank security?" Shikamaru asked with a raised brow, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tsunade reached forward and lifted a piece of paper off of her desk. Flipping it over so the others could see, it showed a picture of a middle aged man. He wore large round glasses with deep black eyes. He was completely bald, but made up for with his large bushy black eyebrows. He was a large-figured man, sporting 2 chins and a round gut. He was dressed in formal robes in the picture, meaning he was of high status.

The group studied the picture thoroughly before turning back to Tsunade and waiting for her to continue.

"The client is Hiro Matsuni, a very wealthy arms dealer who specializes in the craftsmanship of swords. He is known the world over for his ability to make and distribute swords so strong and reliable that they are known to shatter the opponent's blade. Many of the legendary swordsmen used custom blades made by Hiro," Tsunade said calmly.

Tsunade leaned forward and placed a second photo next to the previous picture. It held the image of a large compound with high walls surrounding a large building. The image was slightly blurry, meaning it was obviously taken on a scouting mission several years prior.

"This is his home located in the land of rain, just past the border. As you can see, it's a fairly large home with high walls and 24 hour security as well. This is where he makes his weapons and also raises his young daughter, Molly Matsuni." Tsunade informed, while crossing her arms.

Shikamaru studied the two photos closely, contemplating the pictures and information. He looked away from the photos and gave Tsunade a lazy look.  
"Why would he need our help? Like you said, he has a fortified home and security to watch the corners." Shikamaru stated lazily. "What happened?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and scoffed at his question. Shikamaru had always been very observant.

"A couple days ago, he was attacked by an unknown enemy. The attackers were able to get through his defenses and slaughter ninety percent of his guards. The guards were able to repel the attackers, but as you can imagine, were left badly beaten. With the little protection Hiro now has, he sent an emergency request to us last night asking for us to protect him and his daughter. So that's why we have gathered two full squads for this mission. Your jobs are to protect Hiro and his daughter while finding and neutralizing this enemy. These are times of peace… We won't tolerate hostility," Tsunade informed in a commanding tone.

The group of ninja looked at each other with smirks of excitement on their faces. They all enjoyed a challenge and going up against an unknown enemy sounded fascinating. Naruto looked at Tsunade with a huge grin as he placed a closed fist over his chest.

"We accept, Baa-Chan!" Naruto hollered, while his friends all nodded in agreement. "No one will lay a finger on Hiro!"

"Good!" Tsunade said firmly, giving Naruto a slight smile. "Shikamaru you are in charge of this mission; handle it as you see fit."

Tsunade handed him a scroll holding the mission Intel.

"Yes, ma'am," Shikamaru said lazily, pocketing the scroll.

Shikamaru turned to look at the five ninja in front of him with a laid back gaze.

"Meet at the gate in one hour!" He stated confidently.

"Yes, Sir!" The group said in unison, besides Naruto who just nodded.

All six turned to head for the door, needing to head home and pack for the trip. They were all quietly shuffling to the door when Tsunade's voice rang out.

"Naruto…" Tsunade said softly, causing the group to stop and look at her once again, curious as to what she wanted with the blond.

"Are you ready for this?" Tsunade asked, looking straight into the muted blue eyes of Naruto.

Naruto looked over his shoulder with a confident look to his features. He nodded back at her, also not breaking eye contact. Tsunade smiled, and waved her hand for him to leave.

"Then go…" she said in a whisper, while a concerned look glistened in her eyes.

Naruto turned his attention forward and followed the group out the door as it shut behind him. Once the door was closed he stood on the opposite side facing the hall, watching as his friends walked away to gather their materials. A dull, shallow look clouded his eyes…..a look of sadness….and of slight fear.

"We will see, Baa-Chan….." Naruto whispered, starting to walk towards home. "…..We will see….."

-Konoha Front Gate - One Hour Later-

The newly rebuilt front gate stood towering over the small buildings at the front of the village. It cast a large shadow over the entrance, stretching one hundred yards above the ground. It provided a cooling relief from the piercing warm sun that lingered in the afternoon sky. Villagers and ninja alike walked through the gate, heading to their destinations at a leisurely pace. Kids played games in the large concrete and stone town square that lay at the entrance to the village. It was a welcoming image to travelers who were stopping by the village.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto stood next to the large wooden door of the gate, talking quietly. Sakura and Ino leaned against the wooden door chatting about little things as they waited for the last member of their squad to arrive. It was a nice day in the village, so they almost didn't mind that they had to wait.

Ino and Sakura broke from their conversation as Sai had finally arrived. He wore his usual large fake smile that he put on when he was in any social situation. He walked up to the females, catching the attention of Naruto, who stopped talking with Choji.

"What took you so long, Sai?" Sakura asked in an annoyed tone, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. "You know we have to move quickly on this mission!"

"Sorry Sakura-San, I was just lost in thought." Sai said calmly, turning to look at Ino.

"Hello Ino-Chan, I hope we will able to get along on this mission." Sai said in a slight happy tone, which Sakura knew was faked.

Ino huffed and turned her attention to the sky, walking off with a stomp in her step past Naruto's group and out the village gate. Naruto watched her walk by, curious as to what that was all about. From what he recalled… didn't Ino like Sai?

Sakura gave a slight frown towards Ino, who was still marching off into the forest heatedly. Pressing her hands on the gate she was leaning on, Sakura pushed off and followed Ino with concern. Sai just hummed obliviously to himself as he also followed the lead of Ino.

"So…..I guess we are leaving?" Choji said, a sweat drop forming on his head.

"I guess so…" Shikamaru said lazily, watching Ino stomp off out of sight.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto walked out of the village and headed off into the forest to catch up with the rest of the group.

Taking to the trees, the group traveled quietly through the forest. The whistle of the wind through the dense trees and the soft taps of feet landing nimbly on branches were the only sounds heard. Sai was at the front, with Sakura and Shikamaru side by side behind him. Choji and Ino were behind them, with Naruto taking up the rear. The group traveled quickly with no one talking for the next several hours. Wanting to make it to their destination before nightfall on a usual full day's trip, the group dashed through the trees in a blur. They were making good time and would arrive at Hiro's home within the hour.

Everyone seemed to be either lost in thought or enjoying the scenery of the forest that passed by. Everyone, that is, except for Ino, who was currently sending death glares at the back of Sai's head as she jumped alongside Choji. She was mumbling curses under her breath and her fists were clenched at her side. Naruto had been watching her do this for the past four hours on their trip and his curiosity was finally getting the best of him. With a soft whistle to grabs Choji's attention, the large man looked over his shoulder. Naruto gestured for him to come closer so Choji slowed his pace to move alongside Naruto. Ino didn't even notice the absence of the large man as she kept her death gaze upon Sai, grumbling menacingly.

"What's up?" Choji asked curiously with a raised brow, moving through the trees alongside Naruto.

Naruto glanced back at Ino to make sure she wasn't paying attention before turning to look at Choji.

"Do you happen to know why Ino is emitting a killing intent fit for a demon towards Sai?" Naruto asked in a whisper, his hand cuffed over his mouth to help keep Ino from hearing. "I could have sworn she had a thing for him?"

Choji looked at Naruto with a confused look before looking back towards Ino for a second. Turning to face Naruto again Choji scrunched his brows together.

"What do you mean? Haven't you heard about what happened?" Choji asked also in a whisper, glancing towards Ino occasionally to make sure she was oblivious to the conversation. "Well I mean… no one knows what really happened… but….."

"Uhhhhh….No…..What happened?" Naruto's curiosity was full blown itching at his mind.

Choji slowed down and flipped through the air to avoid a large branch in his path. Grasping a smaller branch and swinging himself forward to gather momentum, he caught up with Naruto.

"Ino and Sai were going out for like four months," Choji said quietly, watching as Naruto's eyes grew wide with shock. "Up until about two months ago, when they had a really bad break up. She won't tell anyone what happened and getting information from Sai is impossible."

Naruto turned to look at Ino jumping in front of him elegantly. Her purple squirt and hair was flapping in the breeze behind her, creating a slight ruffling sound. Naruto studied the back of her head briefly before turning his attention back to Choji.

"What do you think happened with them?" Naruto asked, glancing between Ino and Sai.  
Choji shrugged with a relaxed demeanor.

"I have no idea…..All I know is Ino was really beaten up about it for a while. She cried a lot and said he was the biggest dick ever…. She seems to have gotten better, but instead of crying, she just shows pure rage towards the guy," Choji informed, while looking at Naruto.

"Wow….. What the hell did he do…?" Naruto asked quietly, a slight tinge of concern reaching his tone.

Choji shrugged again, leaping forward and increasing his pace to once again travel alongside Ino. Naruto watched him speed away before turning to look at the girl next to him. Naruto scrunched his brows together as he pondered the information, looking between Sai and Ino with calculating eyes.

(Mind) "Ino… what the hell did Sai do to make you cry...?" Naruto thought sadly.

Naruto pondered all of the different possibilities for the next hour of their travel. From Sai saying something rude to her to just flat out cheating… though Sai wasn't socially keen enough to even talk to girls. Naruto jumped from idea to idea nonstop, never liking a single one he thought up. He glanced at Ino every now and again to see her still glaring at Sai. Naruto would have to give the woman credit… When it came to hating someone… Ino never rested. Naruto was brought from his thoughts by a loud voice towards the front of their little battalion.

"We are here," Shikamaru informed, just as they entered a large clearing that seemed to come out of nowhere in the wilderness.

Naruto and the rest of the squad came to a stop at the far edge of the meadow, jumping down from the trees. The clearing was cast in shadows from the dark sky covered in storm clouds that always occupied the rain country. The large area was bathed in tall grass and wild flowers. There were tall sunflowers coiling along a small dirt path that went through the center of the clearing up to a large cement gate with cast iron doors. The walls were at least thirty feet tall with gashes and burn marks all along the outside, showing off the battle that happened a few nights prior. The group walked through the dirt path single file, enjoying the beauty of the meadow, but cautious of the remnants of the battle.

"Well isn't this a place of mixed feelings…" Shikamaru said casually, skipping from looking at a large flower to a small hole caused by an explosive tag. "Though it doesn't seem that out of place…"

"I agree, I mean Tsunade-Shishou said there was a battle here… but this looks as if there was a small spar instead," Sakura chimed in.

They approached a large iron gate that was painted pitch black and covered in battle scars. There were long silver chains running up the side of the door and into small holes in the wall to allow the doors to open. The door looked as it had been through three wars and back… yet still stood strong.

"Though this guy obviously has a lot of enemies to have this kind of damage to his own front door," Sakura said calmly, taking in the dark visual of battles and bloodshed the door held.

"Ya, well it's not that bad really… I mean the walls are still standing, right?" Naruto asked casually, walking with his hands behind his head. "Honestly, this place looks and feels relaxing!"

The large iron doors began to creak open almost automatically as they approached. Naruto never even had to break stride as he passed by the opening into the large compound. What they saw once passed the metal doors made them all stop in their tracks, looks of horror and disbelief in their eyes.

"W….. What the hell…." Naruto whispered out, his eyes wide and darting in every direction at the destruction. "… Never mind."

The once large building that they had seen in the picture was shattered and burned. There were large holes in the roof and walls, giving an easy view of the rooms that lay inside. Some of the smaller side buildings were completely burned to the ground with piles of burnt wood and furniture being the only remnants. Steel arrows stuck out of the homes' walls as well as all over the ground. Craters scattered the land from obvious explosions and jutsus used from both sides. The air still had a tinge of the chakra that was used days prior, making every breath thick and smoggy. What really caught the group off guard were the stained walls and floor… they were a dark maroon color and reeked of death. Naruto gasped, realizing what it was….it was blood…dried blood was everywhere… This wasn't a battle… this was a massacre.

"M….my god," Ino said quietly, covering her mouth in shock.

"So you must be our saviors." A voice came from the left of the group, making them all turn towards its direction.

A rather fragile man walked out of the guard's booth next to the front gates. He looked to be in his sixties, wearing formal silver and black samurai armor. His hair was gray and receding, reaching almost to the center of his scalp. He had worn and tired eyes and held himself as if he was going to pass out at any given moment. He walked slowly over to Shikamaru, who was currently at the front of their six man group.

(Mind) "This guy is a guard!?" Naruto thought in surprise, watching the old man closely as he moved towards them. The others were having very similar thoughts.

"Uhh….yes! We have come on behalf of the request that was sent to our village," Shikamaru said firmly, pulling out the scroll given to him by Tsunade and handing to the man.

With a shaky hand, the old guard took the scroll and popped it open with his thumb. After examining it carefully, he coughed and rolled it up. He placed it into a small sack he had slung over his shoulder as he gave the Ninja a wide, tired smile.

"Ah! It's so nice that you are here! Thank you for traveling so quickly, we very much needed the assistance, as you can see," The old man said quietly, his tone laboring at every word. "My Name is Tora, and I'm the fresh out of retirement Chief Guard of the Matsuni family."

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other quickly, seeing that they both had similar thoughts.

(Mind) "If Tora had to come out of retirement…..then the death toll of the Matsuni family guard really was in the ninetieth percentile like informed…. But what could have done this much damage?" Sakura thought to herself quietly.

"Why are you out of retirement?" Sai asked, unemotionally. "You seem far too old to be any help."

The group shot daggers at Sai. How he could never pick up on how not to be a dick to people was a mystery to all.

"HAHAHA! Right you are, boy! Though please, hold all your questions for Sir Hiro. I'm sure he can answer all of them," Tora said happily, as if he wasn't affected by the smell of death that lurked in the air.

"Uhh… well, can you please take us to Hiro? We need to speak with him immediately." Shikamaru said nervously, shaken a bit from the elderly man's unnaturally joyful demeanor.

"Yes, of course! Follow me, please, he should be in his study," Tora said happily.

Tora twirled on his heel and began making his way further into the compound. He walked with a slow pace, as if he would break if he moved too quickly. Naruto and the others followed Tora through the battle-scarred courtyard and towards a building that was surprisingly untouched among the destruction. It was a smaller building, having to be no larger than a barn or shed. Tora slid the sliding door to the side and gestured for them to follow.

When they got inside, they realized there was nothing in the room at all. Nothing but old white walls and a painting on the far wall of a samurai hold his sword out forward. Naruto was about to speak up in confusion when Tora activate a hand sign and the ground began to shake. The floor swirled and collapsed downwards in a spiraling manner. It shifted and creaked from the movement until finally stopping to reveal hidden stairs. The staircase was in the center of the room and seemed to go on far past the realm natural light could reach. Tora walked over and started to descend the spiraling staircase, as the rest followed.

"This place is a hidden bunker." Naruto whispered over his right shoulder. Ino and Sakura nodded, following along behind him.

The group traveled down the concrete stairs for what seemed like forever as it became darker and darker. Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder to keep herself from missing a step and tumbling forward. Ino did the same on Naruto's other shoulder. The group finally made it to the ground level where a long hall was bathed in pitch black darkness traveled away from their sight.

(Clap) (Clap)

Tora clapped his hands together twice and the hallway burst into light. Hidden torches flickered to life along the hallway walls to brighten their journey. Now able to focus their eyes, they could see the hallway ran some fifty yards to a large door that was at the end of the passage.

"Please, right this way," Tora said excitedly, walking forward and down the hall.

Naruto and the rest followed to the large wooden door. It held no distinguishing markings on its surface, not even a handle, but a trained eye could see that it was sealed.

"Release!" Tora announced, as he placed his hand on the door, his fingers spread.

Blue chakra glowed around the door for a brief second before dissipating with a hiss. The door began to slide open with a loud screech, allowing the torched lit hallway to be engulfed in bright light from the large chamber. Making their way into the room, they could see the massive workshop that was the bunker.

The large room had tall, plain concrete walls with a red bricked floor. There was a single workmen's bench in the center of the room with a sword currently being forged on it. The entire left side of the room was piled high with bags and sacks of materials and metals of all sorts. The opposite right wall was completely covered in a large bookcase that reached the ceiling. It contained large scrolls and books ranging from the size of a notebook to as large as a T.V. box. These were more than likely all of his prized notes and information on building his world class swords. On the far back wall was a single lounge chair placed up against the wall. There was a small table placed next to the chair, with a lamp placed upon it, illuminating the figure sitting in the chair.

Hiro smiled.

"AH! You have arrived, my hidden leaf saviors!" Hiro shouted loudly, a wide smile gracing his face. "Please come in!"

Hiro jumped up from his seat and met them all with a firm handshake. He looked tired and worn down. It was obvious that the recent attack on his home left him shaken. He had bags under his eyes similar to Naruto's, showing he had not slept in awhile.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly! If they decided to attack again before you arrived… I'm afraid they would have succeeded with their mission."

"Uh… Sir, we actually have a few questions for you on that matter, actually," Shikamaru said confidently, studying the man in front of him carefully.

"Yes, of course, my boy! What is it that you need to know?" Hiro asked loudly as he walked back to his seat and flopped down tiredly.

The group walked closer to his chair and took a formal kneeling position on the floor mats that were provided to guests.

"First off, Hiro-San… who were these people that attacked you? In your request, you didn't list who we would be defending you against," Shikamaru asked confidently, watching Hiro closely to see if he would show the indications of a lie.

"I left the affiliation of the enemy out of the report because… well… we have no idea who they were! They came in the middle of the night and always stayed hidden in the shadows." Hiro said nervously, rubbing his hands together to stay calm.

(Mind) "He's telling the truth," Shikamaru thought, watching the man squirm in his seat.

"How many do you feel their where?" Sai decided to join in.

"Once again, I'm sorry… we don't know… they seemed to come from everywhere. Arrows pouring from the sky like rain. There were explosions and fire suddenly engulfing my home! They left a huge hole in my daughter's room!….I can only imagine what I would do if she had been hurt in the attack," Hiro said quietly, a ting of sorrow in his voice.

(Mind) "Arrows and fire, huh…" Shikamaru pondered to himself. "So we have at least a couple high level archers and a fire affinity user."

"Hiro…" Shikamaru said firmly, getting the man to look at him from his squirming. "What were they after? Why did they attack you?" Shikamaru watched as Hiro's left thumb twitched.

"We believe it was for my sacred notes that are beside you on my bookshelf. Those notes hold the many secrets to my swords. With those notes, someone could build an army of perfect weaponry."

Shikamaru noticed how Hiro's left thumb kept twitching as he spoke, his eyes dilating. Shikamaru furrowed his brow at the man.

(Mind) "He seems nervous… Is he hiding something…?" Shikamaru thought in an intrigued tone.  
Shikamaru opened his mouth to confront the man on his bluff, but was interrupted by a loud voice from behind him.

"Well, don't you worry, Old Man! We will keep your secrets safe and put these jackasses in the dirt!" Naruto yelled loudly, giving a goofy grin and thumbs up to Hiro.

The rest of the squad sweat-dropped at his actions.

(Mind) "Idiot…" they all thought.

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance at Naruto always being so loud.

(Mind) "Forget it….." Shikamaru thought in a sigh, rubbing his temples, turning back to face Hiro, Shikamaru refocused his thoughts.

"How do we even know that these people will come back? They could have just given up and went home, making our trip out here a complete bother." Shikamaru stated lazily, letting his eyes drop half closed as to the thought of wasting a perfect day on a useless mission.

Hiro straitened in his chair and changing his face from worry…to seriousness.

"No… they will come back... After they attacked the first time I sent two scouting units to check the surrounding area and see if we were in the clear…" Hiro said quietly, pausing to gulp a dry breath. "Not one of those teams came back… They're out there… and they will attack us again soon."

Shikamaru looked at the man in concentration before turning his head to look over his shoulder. His friends look at him with confidence and poise. Naruto had a stern look of confidence on his face. Shikamaru turned back to Hiro with a smirk.

"Then we will be ready," shikimaru said confidently.

Hiro smiled wide with new found hope.

"I have one last request…" Hiro said with a confident tone. "My daughter…Molly… she's everything to me. I would very much appreciate it if you would have one of your friends be her personal guard until this mess is over… If anything happened to her… I don't know what I would do with myself."

Shikamaru nodded towards the man in understanding. Turning, Shikamaru looked over his shoulder to think of who would be perfect for the job. He studied each one's abilities carefully before he made his decision.

"Naruto… you'll defend the girl. With your ability to heal and protect others with your chakra….you'll be best suited to keep Molly safe." Shikamaru informed in a serious tone.

Naruto smiled and nodded at the order.

"Cool! I love kids!" Naruto said excitedly. "You can count on me, Old Man!"

Hiro was put off at the nickname and showed he slightly disagreed with the decision. This young man in front of him looked of sadness but spoke in happiness… it was confusing.

"I…..don't..." Hiro began to speak but was cut off.

"Don't worry Hiro-San. Naruto is our very best, if he can't defend Molly…then no one could." Ino said sweetly, putting on a big smile.

Everyone looked at Ino with wide eyes and dumbfounded looks except Sakura, who gave Ino a sly smile, and Sai, who acted oblivious.

(Mind) "Did she just compliment Naruto!?" Shikamaru and Choji thought simultaneously, continuing to stare at Ino. "Ino doesn't compliment ANYONE!" they thought again.

Naruto looked at Ino with a slightly open mouth and disk-sized eyes.

(Mind) "Ino just complimented me….. Since when the hell did she compliment me!?" Naruto thought to himself.

Ino turned to look at Naruto, who was giving her a strange look. She blushed slightly at the attention and turned her face away in an embarrassed pout.

"S… stop staring at me idiot!" Ino said quietly, crossing her arms and huffing.

The group slowly turned their attention back to Hiro with open mouths and shock stricken expressions. Hiro smiled at the girl's words and nodded in understanding.

"Alright… if what you say is true… Naruto may keep watch over my baby girl.

Naruto gave a bright smile and bowed his head slightly.

"I won't let you down, sir." Naruto said in a happy tone, closing his eyes to hide his true emotions.

(Mind) "Hopefully…" Naruto thought nervously, trying to keep the others from seeing through his smile.

Ino noticed the slight uneasiness in Naruto's posture and gave a slight frown. She leaned in closely next to Naruto's ear, keeping her eyes on Hiro.

"You will do fine Naruto." Ino said sweetly, before leaning back to sit upright on her floor cushion.

Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eye questionably, focusing on Ino's face as she looked away from him with a smile.

(Mind) "Did she see through my act? But… How? No one has ever seen through it before!" Naruto thought in a whisper.

Ino looked out of the left corner of her eye at Naruto, watching him look at her baffled. She let out a slight giggle and winked. Naruto blushed and recoiled in shock. He looked back at Hiro quickly, causing his hair to shake slightly. A bright pink tint was on his face from being caught staring for the second time. Ino blushed a little as well, also turning her eyes back to Hiro and Shikamaru talking about whatever.

(Mind) "Idiot," she thought sweetly.

"Alright, let's get you all to your sleeping quarters," Hiro said calmly as he stood up from his chair. "Please follow Tora and myself into the main house to show you where you all will be staying."

The group nodded and followed the two men out of the bunker and up and outside. The sun was beginning to set behind the famous storm clouds of rain country, casting the land in dark purples and oranges, reflecting off windows and walls. The air was damp with humidity, making it feel very calming despite the destruction all around.

They continued into the main house, gathering into the large main hall just past the entrance to the home. The room was round in shape with two large staircases that were located on each side of the room, heading in different directions in the large home. A large chandelier that sparkled as if it were made of diamonds hung from the high ceiling in the middle of the entrance hall. There was one doorway that was currently open with the wooden doors pushed against the wall. The doorway sat in between the two staircases on the far opposite side of the room from the main entrance.

Hiro walked the group into the center of the large entrance hall and stopped abruptly. Turning his body to face his guests he cleared his throat with a clenched fist over his mouth.

"Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Sakura, and Sai, please follow me up the left staircase where the guest rooms are located. Naruto… I'm afraid you will be separated from your friends… You will be staying on the far opposite end of my home." Hiro said calmly while looking over the group.

Naruto blinked in confusion at this, jutting out his lower lip and crossing his arms.

"Why the hell am I separated from everyone else!?" Naruto asked loudly, irritation in his voice.

Ino also grew irritated as she as well crossed her arms in annoyance.

(Mind) "Ya! Why the hell does he have to be so far away!?" Ino yelled to herself angrily.

"My daughter's room is located on the far opposite side of my home….I wish for you to stay with her in her bedroom to keep a close eye on here," Hiro stated in slight annoyance at the boy's yelling.

Naruto calmed down at the reasoning and nodded in understanding. Ino just huffed and looked away, irritated nevertheless. Hiro looked away from the group over to Tora who stood next to him quietly.

"Tora, please escort Naruto to Molly's room and get them introduced."

"Yes, Sir," Tora said enthusiastically, giving a bow towards Hiro slowly.

Hiro turned back to Naruto, who was walking forward towards Tora for him to lead the way.

"Naruto, dinner will be served in one hour… I'll send an attendant to fetch you when it is ready."

Naruto nodded in understanding as he turned to follow the slow-moving Tora up the right flight of stairs, as his friends followed Hiro up the left. Winding around the corner once he was past the stairs, Naruto got a good feel of the atmosphere of the home.

It consisted of long, winding hallways that seemed to go on for miles. There were candles lit every few feet attached to the wall on iron holders. The candles did very little to light the large hallway, barely keeping it out of total darkness. The floor was wooden and old, showing its age with every step letting out a shallow creek. The doorways upon doorways that were closed all had the same off-white color and stale looking wood. The hallway's air was thick and unsettling; Naruto didn't like the feel of this home at all. Gave him the heebie-jeebies.

He traveled behind Tora through the dark hallways for the better part of 5 minutes. Naruto glanced over his shoulder every couple of moments just to make sure a ghost wasn't lurking behind him.

"C…can we get there already….I…I'm getting chills!" Naruto said nervously in a shaky voice, glancing over his shoulder again at the empty hallway.

"HAHA!" Tora laughed loudly, making Naruto flinch at the sudden volume change. "You aren't afraid of ghosts now are you Naruto-San?"

Naruto blinked slowly, thinking of how to respond. Naruto put on a fake confident look as he crossed his arms and jut his chin towards the roof.

"O..of course not! G…ghosts aren't real!" Naruto said in a shaky voice, failing to sound unafraid.

Naruto glanced over his shoulder again quickly, swearing he had just heard a faint giggle.

"T…they aren't real….right?" Naruto asked nervously, turning back to face the back of Tora's head.

Tora smiled to himself slightly, keeping his face forward.

"Oh…I don't know if they are real or not…but that shadowy figure behind you is making me think they are." Tora said in a joking tone.

Naruto screamed loudly like a little girl as he jumped around violently, striking a goofy kung-fu pose. He stared down the barely lit hallway…..it was completely empty. Naruto sweat dropped and grew red with embarrassment and anger. Naruto twirled on his heel quickly.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK, OLD MAN!?" Naruto yelled loudly, shaking his arms about in a comedic manner.

Hiro burst into laughter as he watched the boy freak out from over his shoulder, never breaking his pace down the hall.

"HAHA! You're too easy to trick, Naruto-San! Now come along, or you will be left in the dark," Tora said in a happy tone, turning to face the hallway once again.

Naruto's face turned blue at the thought of him being left alone in this place.

(Mind) "Fuck that!" Naruto thought in complete fear, turning and running quickly to catch up to Tora.

The two men walked through the halls quietly for the next few moments before reaching a small purple door. The door was completely out of the blue from the other white doors. The only feature beside the out of place purple was a metal "M" screwed into the door. Tora walked up to it and gave it a quiet nock.

"Molly-Sama….There is a guest here who would like to meet you." Tora whispered through the door.

Shuffling could be heard from the opposite side of the door. The bolt on the door could be heard clicking as it creaked slightly open. Looking down, a small green eye could be seen peering through the thin crack. At seeing it was Tora, the door swung open completely to revel little Molly.

Naruto looked at her with a sweet smile. She was probably seven years old and was around 4 feet tall. She had shoulder length brown hair and bright green eyes. She wore a simple white dress that reached her knees. There was a pink sash at her waist that was tied in a nice bow on her back. Her right hand was covered in bandages, which threw Naruto off a little.

Kneeling down into a squatting position to be on her eye level, Naruto reached his right hand forward to introduce himself.

"Hey Molly… I'm Naruto. I'll be looking after you for a little while," Naruto said in a soft quiet voice.

Molly studied Naruto for a brief moment without saying a word. She had a calm look to her face, like she didn't have a care in the world. She eventually reached with her bandaged hand to acknowledge the hand shake. When their hands where just about to touch a sudden spark was sent off between them, Causing them both to pull their hands away quickly with a shocked expression.

(Mind) "What was that!?... Static electricity? No…. that was some weird chakra… not static," Naruto thought to himself curiously as he re-stood from his crouched position.

Molly put her arm back at her side and turned to walk back into her room. She walked her way over to her toy chest and flopped down in front of it. Naruto looked at her curiously before turning to Tora.

"Quiet one, isn't she?" Naruto asked in a whisper so only he could hear.

"Yes… But not for the lack of speaking….it's more…. Well, you'll find out soon enough." Tora said calmly, as Naruto stood there confused. "Now, I must be going. You will be fetched when dinner is ready, so please just relax and unpack until then."

With that being said Tora turned on his heel heading down the long dark hall once again, leaving Naruto standing at the front of Molly's door. Naruto turned back towards Molly, who was sitting on the floor facing away from him, playing with a doll. Entering the room and closing the door behind him, he looked it over carefully.

The room was a standard 4 wall room with bright pink paint all over the otherwise bland walls. There was a single window placed opposite to the door that looked out into a beautiful flower garden. Naruto turned away to look over the rest of the room. There were two single person beds located on the left and right walls from the door. The left had purple sheets and pillows while the other had pink. The window sat in between the two beds, casting the room in a white glow from the moon. A slowly spinning fan on the ceiling moved the air, making the thick humidity bearable. There was a toy chest underneath the window between the beds where Molly currently sat.

Naruto walked over to the left bed, dropping his backpack down onto it. He sat himself on the side, creating a squeak from the springs of the mattress. He watched Molly play quietly to herself a few feet away. She was bouncing a doll on her hands as if her hands were a trampoline. Naruto smiled at her.

(Mind) "Seems like a sweet kid," Naruto thought to himself in a calm, relaxed tone.

"Thank you," Molly said in a whisper, never turning away from her doll.

Naruto recoiled from her sudden response, his mouth open and eyes wide.

(Mind) "Did…She….NAAAAA! There's no way she read my mind, haha!" Naruto thought to himself in a chuckle, as he relaxed back into a sitting position on the bed.

"That's exactly what I did" Molly said again, just as quiet as before.

Naruto's eyes were as large as dinner plates as his jaw hit the floor. His mouth opened and closed slowly as he stared at the playing Molly. Naruto jumped to his feet and pointed his finger at the back of her head.

"YOU CAN READ MINDS!?" Naruto yelled loudly, causing Molly to flinch.

Molly turned to look over her shoulder, looking at the bewildered man behind her lazily. She looked at him pointing at her for a few moments before turning to continue playing.

"Yep." Molly said nonchalantly, beginning to hum a tune to herself.

Naruto continued to look at her in awe.

"That's bull! If you can really read my mind… repeat what I'm thinking!" Naruto said in frustration.

"Fine," Molly responded, sounding uninterested.

(Mind) "Ramen" –N

"Ramen"-M

(Mind) "Orange" –N

"Orange" –M

(Mind) "… Super awesome sexy woman!" Naruto finally shouted mentally.

"Pervert." Molly said quietly, still not looking at Naruto.

Naruto stared at Molly with a wide open mouth and disk sized eyes. He was completely baffled at what to say…(or think). Naruto grabbed Molly's shoulders, picking her up off the ground and turning her to face him. Molly looked shocked from the sudden movement and being held in the air.

"HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT!?" Naruto yelled in frustration. "Some kind of jutsu!?... Or maybe it's all just a trick!?"

Molly looked at Naruto with half open eyes, still not showing the slightest bit of interest in what was going on. With a quiet sigh, Molly rolled her eyes.

"Put me down and I'll show you." Molly said in an irritated voice.

Naruto promptly put the young girl down back onto her own feet. He sweat-dropped at how he freaked out and patted the girl on the head nervously.

"Ok… how do you do it?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms and studying the girl.

Molly began to unwind the bandages that were located on her right hand. Letting the wraps fall to the floor, Molly opened her now bare hand revealing…a mark…..a tattoo more like it. Naruto leaned in with his hands on his knees to better inspect the marking.

It was a black flower, roughly the size of a quarter, in the middle of her palm. It was…..just like Naruto's Sun Tattoo he got from the sage. Naruto looked at it in awe as Molly spoke up.

"I got this mark on my hand a couple years ago. An old man gave me a high five in the forest when I was out playing….and it's been there ever since. If I put some effort and focus my …chakra is what Daddy calls it…I can read the person's or persons' minds who are around me. It's a weird thing….but I like it." Molly said quietly, looking at her mark as she wiggled her fingers.

Naruto looked from Molly back to his own taped hand quickly, trying to understand what all of this meant.

(Mind) "That's….just like my tattoo….and this old man…..did the Sage give her this ability just like he had mine?" Naruto thought quickly, a thousand different thoughts running through his head.

Molly reached down and picked up her bandages. She began to rewrap her hand quietly, while Naruto continued to stare at her. Molly finished wrapping her hand and looked up at Naruto with concern in her eyes.

"Do you… think I'm a freak now?" Molly asked quietly, turning her eyes to the floor in front of Naruto and herself.

Naruto blinked in confusion as to why she would ask that. Naruto crouched down again so he was head level with Molly. He looked at her closely, seeing how sad she had suddenly gotten.

"Why would you think I thought you were a freak?" Naruto asked in a whisper.

Molly's eyes began to glisten as tears threatened to fall from her downcast eyes.

"Because when I show other kids I can read their minds….they call me a freak and tell me to get away. I spend all my time in my room because all the other kids who are family of our guards say they hate me….I don't have any friends because of it," Molly whispered in a whimper, trying to hold back her emotions.

Naruto smiled sadly at the girl, knowing all too well how she was feeling. He reached forward and unwrapped his own hand, allowing his orange bandages to fall to the floor. Molly turned her face slightly up to see what Naruto was doing.

"I don't think you're a freak, Molly…I actually think your power is really cool." Naruto said softly, as the last of his bandages fell to the floor. "Because….I'm just like you…"

Naruto opened his clenched hand to revel his quarter sized Sun tattoo. Molly looked at it in awe and glanced back to the smiling Naruto. Her eyes went wide as she studied the simple marking.

"Y…you have one too?" Molly asked quietly as she glanced at her bandaged hand and back to Naruto. "S…so you can read minds too!?"

"HAHA!...No…I can't read minds, Molly….the abilities of my mark are a little different from yours," Naruto said in a soft whisper as he clenched his fist slightly.

Molly looked at Naruto in complete fascination, she had never met someone who was like her. She felt like her whole world just opened up to her.

"What are your mark's abilities, Naruto-Sama?" Molly asked sweetly as she bent down and picked up Naruto's bandages from the floor.

(Mind) "Sama… huh?" Naruto thought in a sweet whisper, smiling widely at the girl's recognition of him.

"My mark allows for me to heal people who are badly injured….it allows me to protect my friends…and since I'm a ninja, it gives me some cool other perks," Naruto said in a happy tone, gladly taking back his bandages Molly handed to him.

"That's super cool!" Molly said excitedly, sounding happy for the first time since meeting her.  
Naruto began to rewrap his hand and arm as Molly stood in front of him quietly. She had a huge smile on her face and a glint in her eye that had been absent before. She then grew a slight blush on her cheeks and turned her eyes to the floor again. Once he finished wrapping his hand and arm, Naruto looked up and noticed Molly's sudden shyness.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked in concern, allowing his eyes to soften at the young girl.

Molly held her hands behind her back as she moved her left foot in a small circle in front of her. She kept her eyes on the floor, but Naruto could still see the slight blush on her face.

"N…Naruto-Sama…..since we are both alike….will you be my first friend…?" Molly asked sweetly in the way only small children could.

Naruto grew a soft and loving smile on his face, turning his head slightly to the side.

"Well, of course! Us freaks have to stick together, right!?" Naruto said confidently, throwing a thumbs-up her way. "From this moment on, you and I are friends, Molly."

Molly flicked her head upwards quickly and stood like a stiff board. Her face showed complete shock, not expecting Naruto to say yes to her request. Her face slowly relaxed as a huge smile crept to her face. The corner of her eyes glistened with the threat of tears. Molly leapt forward and embraced Naruto, almost knocking him over from his crouched position.

"YAY! My first real friend!" Molly yelled loudly in excitement as she let go of Naruto and began to jump up and down in front of him. "We are going to play dolls, and dress up, and have tea parties, and play hop scotch and…."

Naruto looked at Molly sweetly as she continued to name off all of the things they were going to do together, moving his eyes up and down to keep up with her constant bouncing. He didn't mind at all making this girl happy… If it meant he could save another child from going through his childhood… he'd do anything. Molly was suddenly cut off from her joyous talking from a knock at the door. Swinging the door open, a young woman stood in the doorway wearing a formal maid's uniform.

"Molly-Sama, Naruto-San, I have been told to fetch you for dinner." The maid said politely as she bowed. "Please follow me and I'll escort you to the dining room.

Naruto stood up from his kneeling position next to Molly and nodded to the young woman. He was about to step forward before Molly dashed forward and out the door.

"Come on Naruto-Sama! Dinner will get cold with you moving that slow," Molly mocked from over her shoulder as she disappeared down the dark hallway.

Naruto and the young maid chuckled to themselves as they made their way out of the room.

"Sorry about Molly, Naruto-San…she is usually very quiet. She must be having a really great day to be this happy today," the maid said softly as she continued to walk in front of Naruto.  
"Don't worry about it… She's a sweet kid." Naruto said happily as he walked behind the maid with his hands behind his head.

(Mind) "But If Molly has a mark on her hand like mine…Then Sasuke and I weren't the only ones to be given a power by the Sage of Six Paths. Naruto's face fell into complete seriousness. "The man Molly met in the woods was undoubtedly the Sage… but why did he give a power to Molly? She's just a little girl…not a ninja…..but the better question is…if Molly has a mark….how many more are out there? I thought I was the only one left after Sasuke died."

Naruto walked slowly behind the maid through the long dark hallway, dropping his hands at his side as his eyes focused.

(Mind) "Whatever this all means….it's definitely….going to be interesting… ill have to ask Molly some questions later"

Naruto let the deep questions fall from his mind for the moment as he put his smile back on and cleared his mind on his way to dinner.

END CHAPTER 5 


	7. Chapter 6 The Smell of Rain

(AN: So after talking to a fan of the story, I'm going to switch up how I show mental thoughts. When a character is thinking, instead of the usual (Mind) at the front, they are going to be in sing quotes and indented. For example, _'blah blah blah.'_ I know I usually use this format when I do flashbacks but don't worry, I will indicate a flashback with a line breaking header so there will be no confusion. During flashbacks, thoughts will still be indicated with single quotes, so just be aware of this change. I hope this makes the story flow smoother!)

Chapter 6

The Smell of Rain…

-2 days later - Land of Trees-

A young man dashed through the harsh bending and twisting of the large trees that covered the landscape. His pace was quick, his breath ragged, and he was badly injured. His left arm was in front of his face to protect him from the tree branches that assaulted and swept past him in waves. His right arm hung limply at his side, broken, as he jumped from tree to tree. He was bleeding from cuts and scrapes he had obtained from the harsh terrain and the wicked attackers who were pursuing him.

The young man's name was Kuya Honra; he was dressed in very casual clothing. A cut and bloody blue collar shirt and black jeans draped his beaten body. He had been wearing flip flops in the nice warm air, but during his chase, they had fallen from his feet and left forgotten somewhere in the forest. His hair was a shiny black and draped his face with its grown-out cut. He had a prickly face from being unshaven for a couple days, signifying he was in his mid-twenties. His eyes were dark and squinted, showing internal pain and sorrow that had been bottled up over years and years. The most interesting choice of his attire was the black leather glove he wore over his left hand… It just seemed out of place, being that he didn't wear one on his right. Kuya growled to himself in pain as he pressed on through the trees.

The moon that illuminated the sky hung lonely in the air, casting the dense forest in shadows and darkness. It was hard to see what was in front of him through the thick trees, and the fact it was the middle of the night didn't help. The man could hear his attackers approaching behind him quickly… it terrified him. What did they want with him? Why did they suddenly attack him on his way home from the nearest village? Who… were these people?

All these thoughts and his pumping adrenaline rushed through his mind and body. He rushed through another onslaught of dense trees, but he made a fatal mistake… he slipped. His foot skidded off the side of the branch he had chosen to land on, making him tumble and crash through the tree branches. He cracked and smashed against them on his way down before finally smacking hard against the cold and dirty forest floor. He rolled his beaten and broken body to his back in an attempt to run once again, but was too late. Three figures cloaked in the darkness of the night landed around the man, encircling him as they stood motionless and silent.

Kuya was able to lift his broken body and lean his back against the tree from which he had just fallen. He sat on the floor with his legs outstretched and his left arm caressing his broken right. His breath was even more ragged, the fear of rupturing one of his lungs from the fall in his mind. He glared at his pursuers before he finally gathered the nerve to speak.

"W… (Cough) ….. Who are you people? … What the HELL DO YOU WANT!?" Kuya yelled through his blood soaked mouth, anger as well as disparity written on his face.

One of the figures stepped out of the shadows and into the scattered moonlight shining through the trees. He stopped just a few feet from Kuya, giving him a good look at one of his attackers.

The man was well built and toned. He had tan skin and he wore a black headband on his forehead. Kuya was shocked to see that the plate was blank… it held no symbol to represent where these people had come from. The man's head was shaven with a bright red Mohawk going down the middle of his scalp. He wore a plain black ninja vest, but Kuya had never seen the style before… it was from a nation he didn't know. The man wore black Jonin pants and the usual ninja equipment strapped to his sides and leg. He wore combat boots instead of the usual ninja sandals that the five nations usually wore in their military uniforms. Kuya was frightened even further after taking in the man's apparel. If he couldn't recognize the ninja's affiliation….then that left an even sicker feeling in his stomach.

'_These guys… are mercenaries…' _Kuya thought in a cold and scared tone.

The man in front of Kuya spoke calmly, yet there was a tinge if malice in his voice.

"Oh where are our manners? My name is Jurobii and the two behind me are Mikio and Akumi," Jurobii said flatly, as he gestured over his shoulder at the two dark figures behind him.

The two men stepped out of the shadows to join Jurobii in the moon light. Kuya studied the two other ninja just as closely as he had done Jurobii.

The one he gestured to known as Mikio had short, spiky hair that was the same red color as Jurobii's Mohawk. He wore the exact same ninja attire, except that he wore his headband around his neck. He wore metal forearm protectors similar to the Anbu black ops as well as shin protectors. He had bright blue eyes and a tattoo on his neck that was the kanji for "Dream". He looked to be a late teenager, no more than 20 at the latest.

The other, known as Akumi, had long black hair that was tied in a low ponytail similar to the late Neji Hyuuga. This man didn't wear the ninja attire the other two had. He wore a skimpy blue compression shirt that was sleeveless and showed off his toned upper body. His arms were bare except for the black athletic tape he had wrapped around his hands. His blank headband was on his forehead just like Jurobii; only it was blue to match his shirt. He wore white Jonin pants with the usual equipment, black athletic tape holding them in place. His shoes were also blue, just like his headband and shirt. Akumi had a tattoo on the side of his neck of the Kanji "Dream" as well. His eyes were black, just like Jurobii's, and showed no emotion. This man was in his thirties by the look of him.

Kuya looked back to Jurobii with malice in his eyes.

"What do you fuckers want with me!?" Kuya asked in anger, as he let go of his right arm and flipped the bird with his left.

The three men smiled darkly at Kuya, as Jurobii stepped closer.

"We don't have any business with you, Kuya Honra… but we do need that power you possess… so why don't you just surrender and we will try to keep from breaking any more of your bones," Jurobii said flatly, as Akumi and Mikio smiled darkly behind him.

Kuya growled angrily at the men, trying to hold back his hacks from the blood that stung his throat. He glanced down at his gloved hand quickly before returning his gaze to Jurobii.

"Power? ... I have no idea what you're talking about, you stupid bastard." Kuya said in a wheeze, his ruptured lung was beginning to take its toll on his breathing.

"Oh please," Mikio said in a scoff. "We know all about you, Miru Hito of sin."

Kuya scrunched his eyes and focused his gaze upon Mikio. He was beginning to fade fast. The blood loss was making his vision blurry.

"What's a (Cough)… What's a Miru Hito?" Kuya asked in a raspy whisper, a single drop of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

Jurobii crossed his arms and the sides of his mouth gave a slight curl upwards. He questioned himself if he should even bother answering the little shit's question.

"It's what you are… You're the Miru Hito of Sin, one of the Six Paths of the Great Sage," Jurobii said in a darkly calm tone. "We also know of your power… or should we say curse, in your case."

Kuya bared his teeth and growled at Jurobii in hate. He didn't understand all of what he was saying, but he did know that these people were absolutely insane… and there was only one way out of this. With carful movements, Kuya began to twitch and move his fingers slowly. His glove began to crinkle and remove from his left hand, he focused on the task as Jurobii continued his annoying monolog.

"The power of Sin… What an interesting ability… With a single touch from your marked hand, you are able to kill anything or anyone… instantly. Quite a useful little tactic, if I do say so myself. Though, in the hands of a non-shinobi like you… I'm sure it's not very useful, huh?" Jurobii asked in a comical tone.

Kuya didn't answer his question, rather choosing to send him another blood soaked glare as he worked on slowly getting off his glove. With a last little wiggle from his pinky…the glove was removed. Kuya balled his fist at his side, reading himself to strike and hopefully flee once more.

"(Cough)… Well, well, well… Don't you have all the answers," Kuya said in a mocking tone, building himself up to make his move. "This little "Power of Sin," as you call it, is a real pain in the ass sometimes (Cough)… but you wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?

"But… since you seem to be such a huge fan of it…" Kuya whispered quietly, as he lunged forward with all of his remaining strength, stretching his Sin marked hand out in front of him. "WHY DON'T I JUST SHOW YOU MY CURSE PERSONALLY!?"

Kuya's left arm was stretched out fully in front of his body. The Sin mark on his palm glowed with the flow of Chakra in the dimly lit forest. Jurobii seemed unfazed by the sudden attack, and still stood casually with his arms crossed and in uninterested look upon his face. He looked at the glowing Tattoo that was on Kuya's palm a few inches away from him, completely uncaring of the potential threat of instantly ending his life with its touch. He studied the Sin mark quickly.

The mark was a glowing purple with the help of the chakra that flowed into it. The symbol was the size of a coin, with the tattoo itself being the Hell-worshiping pentagram.

'_Fitting symbol for the Miru Hito of Sin_,' Jurobii thought as he smiled darkly.

His death grew closer, but yet he still stood motionless. From the corner of his eye, Jurobii saw Akumi throw something with deadly speed.

Kuya was a mere inch away from touching Jurobii's chest when he felt a sudden sharp pain pierce his palm and send it reeling backwards. Kuya's hand flew back and smashed against the tree behind him, pinned to the trunk. Blood splattered onto Kuya's cheek with the impact as he screamed out in pain.

'_W… what the fuck!?' _Kuya thought in shock as he looked up at his pinned hand.

Kuya's eyes grew wide upon realizing a kunai knife was the object that pierced his hand and held it above him. Kuya's breath caught in his throat as the blood from his hand dripped down his wrist and arm, drenching his already battle-scarred clothes. Kuya's eyes were wide with despair as he began to struggle to free his hand.

'_Nononono! ... I won't lose!' _Kuya thought to himself in horror, pain filling his every pore as he tried to yank his hand free from the knife….but to no avail.

"How pathetic," Akumi said nonchalantly as he slowly walked over to the terrified Kuya.

Kuya was facing away from the three men as he struggled to free his hand, oblivious to the approaching threat. Akumi walked up silently behind Kuya, raising his arm to strike. With a swift blow to the back of his neck, Kuya's body went limp as it slumped against the tree. Kuya was knocked unconscious.

"Annoying little bastard…" Akumi said quietly as he turned away from Kuya's limp body. "You're very lucky I decided to save you, Jurobii… You would be dead if it wasn't for me."

"Ha! Like I needed your help, Akumi," Jurobii snarled in protest as he walked over to the body.

"Oh, will you two just shut the hell up and grab the freak so we can go home?" Mikio said flatly, as he wiggled his pinky inside his left ear lazily. "I'm tired, and that fucker made us chase him for miles!"

"Yes… Well… We are lucky we didn't have to put much effort into catching this Miru Hito. If Kira and Haru have just as easy of a task as ours, the gathering of the Six Powers will be quicker than expected."

Jurobii rolled his eyes as he yanked the knife that had been pinning Kuya's hand out of the tree, letting the bloody hand flop to the floor with a twitch. Throwing the knife back over to Akumi, Jurobii looked at the unconscious man on the floor in front of him. He smiled wickedly as he picked the body up and placed it on his shoulder, careful not to let the cursed hand touch him.

Turning to look back at Akumi and Mikio, Jurobii smiled.

"Miru Hito of Sin… obtained."

-Matsuni Estate - Molly's Bedroom-

It was midnight in the Land of Rain. The sprinkling pitter patter of rain against the lone window was a soft and relaxing sound to the ears. It was dark, with only the light of the full moon shining into the room. The air was cool and moved nicely with the help of the ceiling fan above. Molly snored softly as she slept in the bed on the left side of the room, bundled in her large comforter that provided warmth from the cool night air.

Naruto laid on the other bed above the sheets. He was still dressed in his full ninja attire just in case he needed to act quickly against a night attack. His hands were behind his head and his eyes following one of the blades on the ceiling fan, his eyes going round and round in circles. It relaxed him and kept his mind at ease. He had his headphones in his ears and was listening to his music. The volume was lowered quite considerably as to not wake Molly. Naruto laid quietly as he thought of random things from what he would do with Molly tomorrow to his boredom with how little there was to do in this place.

The last two days since their arrival at Hiro's home had been rather lax. There hadn't been any threat of an attack so far and everything seemed to be calm. Naruto hadn't seen much of his comrades as he was in charge of keeping track of Molly until the mission was over. The home was rather large, with the only contact with his friends being the nightly dinners Hiro held to thank them for their help. Naruto felt odd being cut off from the rest of his friends as they ran guard duty and roamed the home in shifts as added protection. Naruto didn't mind staying with Molly and playing games with her, but Naruto was a ninja… He wanted action!

Naruto looked away from the ceiling fan and turned to look at the sleeping Molly. She looked so calm and peaceful when she slept. Naruto let a soft smile grace his face at seeing her so still. Naruto focused his thoughts to the conversation he'd had with Molly the previous day. He just couldn't wrap his head around why in the world the Sage had given Molly a mark.

_(Flashback) _

"_Naruto-Sama? Why are you being so quiet?" Molly asked innocently, as she stood in front of the sitting Naruto. _

_Naruto and Molly were currently in the Garden in the middle of the large estate. There was a single bench in the middle of the large grassy area where Naruto currently sat lost in thought. For the last couple hours, he had watched Molly play in the grass and chase ladybugs that had flown by. He hadn't even noticed Molly walk her way over to him until she jutted her face right in front of his. _

"_H…huh?" Naruto asked confusedly, torn from his thoughts._

"_Why are you being so quiet!?" You've been spacing out all day, Naruto-Sama! You haven't even played with me today!" Molly whined in annoyance, stomping her foot on the ground slightly. _

_Naruto blinked a couple times to regain his focus before smiling softly at the little girl. _

"_Sorry, Molly! I guess I just have a lot on my mind," Naruto said while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment._

_Molly turned her head to the side and gave Naruto a curious look._

"_What are you thinking about, Naruto-Sama?" Molly asked sweetly as she swayed side to side playfully. _

_Naruto scrunched his eyes at the girl and gave her a questioning look._

"_What do you mean, what am I thinking!? You can read freaking minds, so you should already know!" Naruto said loudly as he crossed his arms and jutted out his lower lip._

_Molly giggled slightly before regaining her composure. She leaned forward and poked Naruto on his cheek playfully._

"_You're silly! I don't always want to read your mind. That would be intruding," Molly said in a joking tone as she giggled. _

_Naruto furrowed his brow before letting his eyes soften kindly. _

"_Molly… Can I ask you a few questions about your mark and how you got it?" Naruto asked quietly with a serious tone. _

_Molly raised her brow at the question as she looked at her bandaged hand, then back to Naruto. She scrunched her brows at Naruto curiously._

"_Sure, Naruto-Sama… What do you want to know!?" Molly asked enthusiastically. _

_Naruto leaned forward so his elbows were on his knees and his eyes focused on Molly. He thought briefly about how he wanted to go about the questions._

"_Molly… This old man that gave you your mark… What did he look like exactly?" Naruto asked inquiringly, his hands clasped together in concentration._

_Molly looked away from Naruto over to a patch of wild flowers to her left. She hummed quietly to herself, clearly thinking about the question carefully before answering. Keeping her eyes on the flowers, she gave a slight pout._

"_I don't know really… He wore a cloak and had his hood up, covering his face…" Molly said quietly._

"_Well… Did he happen to say anything to you? I mean… I'm sure he didn't just walk up and grab your hand, right?" Naruto asked quickly, the lack of information frustrating him. _

_Molly looked at Naruto and beamed a huge smile. Her eyes wide like a light bulb just went off in her head. _

"_Ya! He did say stuff! Although… It really didn't make sense at all," Molly said while pouting again slightly. _

_Naruto leaned forward even more towards the girl standing in front of him. His eyes focused as his curiosity itched at the back of his mind. _

"_What did he say, Molly?" Naruto asked in a soft tone._

_Molly scrunched her face in annoyance at the memory of the old man. _

"_He spoke in these big words that I didn't know… It was really hard to understand what he meant at all," Molly answered in a whisper, the irritation on her face fading slightly. _

_Naruto sighed in exasperation while he rubbed his temples slightly._

'_Well…I really couldn't understand him that well either…so I don't blame her,' Naruto thought to himself in a sigh. _

"_Though…" Molly said quickly, interrupting Naruto's thought. "He did keep mentioning something about how pure I was… whatever that meant." _

_Naruto refocused his eyes on Molly as he pondered what she just said. _

"_Pure… What do you mean he said you were pure?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. _

_Molly shrugged her shoulders and grunted. "I dunno. He just said I was pure of heart… And that's when he asked for a handshake, but I suggested a high five!"_

'_Pure… Why would he call her… pure?' Naruto thought to himself quietly as he leaned back on the bench to look up at the dark clouds above. _

"_Can I go play now!?" Molly humphed as she stomped her foot once again. "You're making me waste my whole day!"_

_Naruto looked back down from the sky as his thoughts were broken once again. He smiled softly at the girl as he gave her a playful wink._

"_Ya, go ahead, little pest," Naruto said playfully as he shooed her away with his hand._

_Molly crossed her arms and humphed her loudest yet before turning on her heels and running off into the grassy field. _

_(End Flashback)_

'_Pure… I still have no fucking idea why that word bothers me!?'_ Naruto thought to himself in frustration. 'For all I know, it could mean nothing!'

Naruto scrunched his eyes together and grabbed his head, violently rubbing and pulling his hair in frustration as he tried to understand what all of this meant. In his little fit, Naruto accidently bumped his mp3 player off of the bed. It fell, unlinking itself from his earphones and bouncing onto the floor and skidding into the middle of the room.

"Sigh… Great! Now I gotta get out of bed!" Naruto grumbled to himself.

Rolling over and onto his feet, Naruto lifted himself off the side of the bed. Tiptoeing quietly over to his mp3 as to not wake Molly, he raised his knees high and dramatically with every step. He bent down and grabbed the small device forcefully, then straightened himself and stood motionless in the middle of the room. He turned his head to the right and looked at the small window his device happened to fall next to. It still glistened with the rain that was falling on the other side and ticked quietly with every droplet.

He turned fully and walked over to the window. Looking out, he could still see the distorted visual of the flower garden that lay out below the second story window. The rain on the windows surface blurred the visual but still allowed the making out of large shapes and figures. For the first time since arriving at the home, Naruto took in the beauty of the flower garden below.

The garden was round and was about fifty yards in diameter. In the middle of the garden was a fountain with a beautiful woman carved in stone. The carved woman looked to be old, with chips and cracks along her surface. She was holding a bowl in which the water flowed out of and into the small pond below her. The style of the carving looked to be of old Renaissance, which just further showed off Hiro-San's wealth. Next to the fountain was a single street lamp to help illuminate the area at night. Around the fountain were flowers upon flowers of all shapes and sizes. The colors of the small plants glowed beautifully with the help of the rain and beams of moonlight through the storm clouds.

A small stone path ran through the garden and up to the fountain. The path ran back towards the home towards two large wooden doors that were below the window Naruto was currently at. On the path was what appeared to be… a person in front of the stone fountain under the street lamp? Naruto scrunched his eyes trying to make out the figure through the blurred window.

'_Who the hell would be out this late and in the friggin' rain!?' _Naruto wondered.

Looking at the figure, Naruto could only tell they were holding an umbrella and were clearly watching the rain fall upon the stone woman. Naruto raised his brow and looked at the figure a few more moments before sighing.

'_Great… Now I'm curious and won't be able to sleep until I see what the fuck this mystery person is doing!' _Naruto thought in slight aggravation.

Naruto turned to his left and looked at the sleeping Molly with a worried look on his face.

'_But… I can't just leave Molly… Oh… She will be fine! I'll be gone like five minutes!' _Naruto thought happily, reassuring himself.

Naruto turned on his heel and tiptoed to the door while throwing his mp3 back onto the bed. He quickly placed on his sandals and pulled the door open quietly and stepped through. He pulled the door shut behind him as he made his way down the hall in search of the entrance to the garden.

After making his way through the spooky ass hallways and down the large stairs at the front of the estate, Naruto finally was able to locate the two large wooden doors that lead to the garden. Grasping the large metal handle, he pulled the right door open as it creaked loudly in the still night air; his ears immediately filled with the sound of rain. It wasn't falling as heavy as it had been earlier, but it still sprinkled loudly. Looking out into the darkness, Naruto could still see the figure underneath the street lamp standing in front of the stone fountain. The umbrella they were holding was still blocking the person's upper body, leaving Naruto unable to pin who it was. Naruto slumped slightly as he looked up at the rainy storm clouds above while still standing inside the dry entranceway.

'… _I'm going to have to go out there, huh?' _Naruto thought to himself in exasperation.

Naruto grabbed the hood to his jacket and flicked it up over his head to protect himself from the cold downpour. Sighing quietly, he placed his hands in his jacket pockets for warmth and stepped out into the night. The rain tapped against Naruto's jacket softly as he made his way down the stone path and over to the lone figure.

'_What the hell am I even doing this for!? This could just be some crazy maid, or even a body guard on duty… I pray to god this isn't a waste of time_.'

"**What have we said about praying to the woman we killed, Kit… It's pretty stupid of you… Hah!"**__Kurama laughed out from Naruto's mind.

'_You know there are more gods then just her!? I could be praying to one of them!'_ Naruto thought back it aggravation.

"**Uhuh! Sure," **Kurama replied, sarcastically.

Naruto rolled his eyes, not even bothering to argue with the damn fox this time as he continued on his way through the rain.

Naruto's pace was slow; his feet splashed faintly with every step. The cool puddles that lined the stone path rippled and bounced from the oncoming rain. Naruto loved the rain and loved to stand under it and just let it wash away his troubles. It was funny how the darkest of Mother Nature's moods was the weather that helped Naruto out of a funk… Perhaps it was because when it rained… he didn't have to hide his tears.

Naruto took in a deep breath, enjoying the sweet smell as he continued his slow trek over to the mystery person. As he drew closer, he was able to make out better details of the person that stood at the end of the path.

He was able to tell it was a she from her small figure. She was holding a dark black umbrella that still covered most of the woman's upper body. She had on what appeared to be a purple medic skirt and black skintight leggings underneath. Her knees had fish netting covering them and her feet had on black sandals. The woman's right thigh was taped in white athletic tape with a quick-access kunai knife pouch strapped on. A long tail of platinum blonde hair hung down just above the woman's bottom from under the umbrella.

Naruto let his eyes soften as he didn't have to see the rest of the woman to recognize who he was about to meet. He knew of only one person with that blonde of hair and purple medic skirt.

'_Ino… What the hell are you doing out here?' _Naruto thought to himself quietly, and for some reason… slightly worried.

The rain that pattered on the cold stone path muffled the sound of Naruto's footsteps as he made his way closer to Ino. He was only a couple feet behind her before he decided to make his presence known to his friend.

"You on guard duty or something!?" Naruto asked quite loudly over the rain fall.

At his sudden loud voice, Ino shrieked out and flung herself around, drawing a kunai with her right hand and still holding the umbrella with her left. She stared at the hooded Naruto, who stood before her with a wicked grin upon his face. He knew he had just scared the absolute shit out of her.

Ino lowered her weapon and grew bright red with embarrassment at being taken so off guard.

"DAMMIT NARUTO! YOU SCARED THE FUCKING PISS OUT OF ME!" Ino hollered loudly as her shoulders shook with anger and her face still bright red.

Naruto giggled slightly as he walked closer to the girl to join her under the light provided from the street lamp.

"Well then, you should be glad it's raining, because then that would be really embarrassing HAHA!" Naruto mocked as he stopped just a few feet away from Ino with a bright grin on his face.

Ino's face grew even redder at getting Naruto's joke and she turned crossing her arms quickly and turning her face away to partially hide her flushed face. She re-pocketed her Kunai Knife and adjusted the umbrella in her hand to hold more comfortably.

Naruto smiled at the girl's actions, knowing he had embarrassed her even further with his comment. He rubbed the back of his head slightly as he pointed to the umbrella Ino was holding.

"You got room for another under there?" Naruto asked quietly, getting Ino to turn back towards him to see what he meant.

Following his finger to the umbrella, she smiled softly and moved it to the side of her body to allow room.

"Sure… Come on, you idiot." Ino said, keeping the smile on her face, but losing the blush.

Naruto gladly walked next to Ino underneath the umbrella. He lifted his hands and pulled off his hood, then shook his hair slightly. Ino turned away to look back at the fountain of the stone woman like she had been doing previously. Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eye at Ino, seeing she was looking out into the garden once again.

"You didn't answer my question… You out here on guard duty, or something?" Naruto asked softly as he also looked out at the beautiful flowers that surrounded them.

"No," Ino said, shaking her head slightly. "Its Sakura's and Sai's night for that… I was just out enjoying the weather."

Naruto nodded in understanding as he put his hands back in his jacket pockets for warmth. He looked out at the dark sky, watching the dark rain drops fall heavily onto the ground and flowers. He smiled and hummed slightly to himself.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be guarding Molly?" Ino asked sternly.

"I saw you from the bedroom window," Naruto informed while throwing a thumb behind them in the direction of the second story window. "Thought I'd come down and see what was up. Molly is fine as well… She's sleeping like a baby right now."

Ino nodded as she turned back to the flowers. Both stood in complete silence for a few minutes as they watched the rain fall around them. Naruto turned and saw how Ino looked so relaxed and calm at the moment, completely different from her usual loud and boisterous personality.

"You like the rain, Ino?" Naruto asked in an almost whisper as he watched the droplets fall from the heavens.

"Yes… I do," Ino replied softly. "I love the smell."

Naruto turned his head slightly and gave her a puzzled look from the corner of his eye.

"The smell, huh?" Naruto asked softly. "Why?"

Ino scrunched her lips together while she pondered how to answer the question.

"I guess… it's because there isn't any other scent like it in the world." Ino gave a soft smile. "I spend almost all my time around flowers, so I breathe in all of these beautiful scents all the time… but… the smell of rain is just different from all of them. It's… one of a kind."

Naruto nodded with a calm look upon his face.

"Ya… I totally know what you mean," Naruto said in a soft tone. "When it rains… the smell… and the sound… I don't really know how to put it, but I feel… safe."

Ino turned her head away from the fountain and gave Naruto a large shut-eyed grin.

"Well, would you look at that? Looks like we have something else in common besides our blond hair and loud personalities!" Ino informed happily.

Naruto laughed slightly at this as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ya, haha! I guess we do." Naruto said sweetly, letting his arm drop down back to his side.

Ino and Naruto turned to look at each other with smiles on their faces. Their eyes met and for a brief moment they stared into each other's eyes. Naruto stared sweetly at Ino as she stared lovingly back at him. Ino noticed how Naruto's eyes weren't as hollow as they had been two weeks ago. They weren't the bright blue sapphires they used to be, but they had at least regained a little of their shine. Yet she could still see fear and regret deep with them, making her slightly sad.

Being under the umbrella together, their faces were mere inches away from each other. The moment was broken soon after, though, as Naruto blinked a couple times quickly, realizing he had just been staring at her strangely.

Naruto turned away quickly with a slight blush on his face as he whistled nervously to himself. Ino only smiled wider as she turned away, also with a slight pink tint to her cheeks. The sadness from seeing his true feelings faded quickly.

'_What the fuck was that!? Did… Did I just have a moment with Ino!?' _Naruto thought to himself, flabbergasted and completely embarrassed.

The two stood silently once again as the rain continued to fall around them. The sound of the rain pattering against the umbrella was soothing, but Ino was beginning to feel awkward with the silence between her and Naruto.

"So… How's your puzzle coming?" Ino asked sweetly as she elbowed Naruto gently in the side to grab his attention.

Naruto turned back towards Ino with a baffled look, not understanding what she meant.

"What puzzle?" Naruto asked confusedly as he crossed his arms.

Ino turned her head slightly as she rolled her eyes playfully.

"You know, dummy… Picking up your pieces and putting them back in place?"

Naruto stared at Ino with a blank look before his eyes grew wide, finally understanding what she meant.

"Oh! Well, it's coming along… I mean, I'm not locked up in my apartment anymore, so I guess that's leaps and bounds from where I was... I'm also on this mission with you and haven't had a nervous breakdown… So all in all, I'm doing quite fine!" Naruto informed, giving her an awkward, forced smile.

Ino studied Naruto's face for a brief moment before sending him a scowl. She crossed her arms while still holding the umbrella and focused her gaze upon him.

"What have I told you about doing that?" Ino asked quietly, a slight tinge of anger in her voice.

Naruto blinked owlishly at Ino, again not knowing what she was talking about.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

Ino rolled her eyes as her foot began to tap in annoyance.

"What have I told you about lying to me, Uzumaki?" Ino asked again as her eyes began to narrow.

Naruto blinked a few times before he gulped in nervousness. He rubbed the back of his as he scrunched his eyes to gather and gave a goofy forced smile. A sweat drop rolled off the side of his head.

"W…what are you talking about Ino? I… I'm not lying to you." Naruto said in a shaky voice, trying to lie himself even further out of the hole he was digging.

"Oh, please! I know when you're lying to me, Naruto! It's as obvious to see as that bright-ass orange you always wear!" Ino hollered as her patience began to run thin.

Naruto brought his hands in front of his chest as he waved them back and forth quickly, trying not to piss of the young woman even more then he already had.

"OK, OK! I'm sorry, I'll stop!" Naruto pleaded, trying to hide the fear he felt from Ino's anger. Sakura and Ino always scared the shit out of him when their tempers were up.

'_This woman's scarier than Baa-Chan!'_ Naruto thought in a shriek.

"Well, then… tell me how you really feel, dumbass!" Ino stated in annoyance as her glare never faded.

Naruto gulped and shook slightly where he stood.

"W…well," Naruto began, trying to compose himself. "I guess… I'm actually really scared, Ino." Naruto murmured as his eyes dropped to the ground.

The little color and life he had left instantly, leaving the blank cold eyes she had first seen two weeks prior.

"I really don't want to mess up on this… The last time I was in a fight… I lost my best friend… I… I…" Naruto spoke in a shaky whisper with his eyes downcast.

Naruto was cut off by small smooth hands pressing under his chin, lifting his head and sight upward. Looking up, Naruto saw Ino looking straight into his eyes again, giving him a look he didn't really see very often from people. It made his cheeks feel warm again.

"Like I said before, Naruto… You are going to do fine. If anyone ever does try and attack Hiro-Sama's home again, I'm sure you will be there to save the day," Ino spoke sweetly with the most loving smile spread across her face.

Naruto looked back at Ino with his mouth slightly agape. Naruto's bewildered look slowly faded, though, as his eyes focused and his brow furrowed. With a quick movement, Naruto knocked Ino's hand away from his chin gently as he looked at her questioningly.

"Ok… What the fuck happened to you?" Naruto asked with an aggressive tone.

Ino frowned at her hand being knocked away and the sudden mood swing from her blond friend. She blinked in confusion while she cradled the hand that was knocked away like it was injured.

"W… What do you mean, what happened to me?" Ino asked in confusion, sadness in her voice.

"I MEAN… with you being all nice to me as of late. You never used to act like this, and as a matter of fact… You are usually pretty rude to me!" Naruto explained as he crossed his arms tightly.

Ino was taken aback slightly by what he said. She recovered quickly though, as she as well starting glaring at Naruto and crossed her arms aggressively.

"What!? So I can't be nice to my freaking friends, Uzumaki!?" Ino asked heatedly. "Or do you prefer me calling you an ass and an idiot, which by the way, YOU'RE BEING RIGHT NOW!"

Naruto growled in anger.

"I don't mind the being nice to me, but stop all this crap about how you think I will be fine! You don't know what goes on in my head! You don't know how I feel inside! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FUCKING SCARED I AM!" Naruto hollered as tears he was holding back threatened to emerge. "I appreciate what you're trying to do here Ino… but stop!"

"WHY!? So you can continue to wallow in your own self fucking pity!? GOD! I know you're hard headed, Naruto, but knock it the fuck off! IM TRYING TO HELP YOU!" Ino yelled back, her fist balled at her sides and shaking.

"WHY!? I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR HELP!" Naruto countered as he as well balled his fists and yelled over the roar of the rain.

Ino stomped her foot heavily as she jabbed a finger into Naruto's chest.

"BECAUSE I WANT THE OLD YOU BACK!" Ino hollered.

Naruto's mood dropped instantly at hearing that. He looked at her with wide eyes with his mouth agape once again. His shoulders slouched in sadness, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm sick of you being like this. The old Naruto wouldn't have a sudden mood swing and yell at his friends! He wouldn't doubt himself or what he could do. The fact of the matter is, _Naruto_, I _do_ know you better than you think I do. Get your head out of your ass and be… well… Naruto! Not this little bitch you have been," Ino informed as she as well let her mood slightly drop.

Naruto was left speechless as Ino turned on her heel and began to walk back to the two large doors at the end of the path, aggravated. Naruto was left standing in the rain, the cold water beginning to droop his hair and wet his headband. He looked on at her sadly with his posture slouched.

'_Great... Why did you have to go and be a dick, Naruto? She was only trying to help out and you go and flip out on her. I'm a fucking dumbass!' _Naruto thought to himself angrily.

Naruto quickly ran after Ino, meeting her halfway down the path.

"WAIT!" Naruto called out as he reached the pale blonde woman.

Naruto reached out, grasping Ino's left hand making her stop in her tracks. She didn't turn and look at Naruto, instead choosing to keep her eyes towards the exit at the end of the path.

"I… I'm sorry… I know you're just trying to help. To be honest, I really like that you've been nice to me lately. I'm just a little freaked out by all of the doubts and fears I have going on inside my head. I'm not used to these feelings, and I don't really know how to handle them. Ino… I really appreciate everything you've don't to help pick me up and put me back on my feet. I didn't mean to freak out on you like that… That's not like me, and it's not how you should be treated. Please forgive me," Naruto whispered out in pain, the grip he had on Ino's hand tightening.

Ino looked over her shoulder only revealing her left eye, her expression unreadable. Naruto looked back at her with pleading eyes. Ino quickly turned on her heel looking Naruto sweetly with a small smile on her face.

"I forgive you. I know you are scared and confused… After all, I felt the same way when I lost Asuma-Sensei and my father. Just… if you're gonna vent with me, next time… Can you at least give me some warning?" Ino laughed slightly.

Naruto blinked slowly as a slight blush spread across his face.

"Haha… Ya, sure! I'll try and warn you when I'm about to freak out again." Naruto said with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Good!" Ino said loudly. "And Naruto…"

"Huh?" Naruto asked in a confused grunt.

"You're still holding my hand," Ino said softly, sending a wink towards Naruto.

Naruto's blush grew tenfold as he quickly let go of her hand and rubbed the back of his head quickly.

"Uhh… Sorry, Ino!" Naruto responded with an embarrassed, shaky voice.

'_Idiot,' Ino_ thought in a loving tone as she walked close to Naruto to allow him back under the large umbrella.

The two walked back over to the street lamp and watched the rain fall in silence for a few minutes, both enjoying the calming sound the droplets provided with their impact. Naruto looked out of the corner of his eye, studying the calm blonde female next to him. He smiled softly to himself.

'_You know… You're not that bad at all, Ino. As a matter of fact… you are actually quite… pleasant' _Naruto thought sweetly, letting his eyes roam softly over her face.

Naruto's sweet thoughts were broken, though, as a nagging question resurfaced in the back of his mind. He turned his face to look at Ino completely. A look of concern on his face.

"Hey… Ino," Naruto spoke out softly, just loud enough to grab the blonde's attention.

"Hmm?" Ino moaned out questioningly, turning to look at Naruto.

Naruto swayed back and forth trying to find the best way of asking the woman his question.

"I know we are having a nice night and we are bonding as friends for the first time in like, ever... despite how much of a dick I just was," Naruto spoke out, earning a nod from his blonde companion. "But I was wondering if I could ask you a question that I've been wanting to for the last couple days."

Ino's eyes began to widen as her heart fluttered lightly.

'_He isn't about to ask me what I think he's about to ask me… is he!?' _Ino thought in shock, with tones of hope radiating off of her.

"I mean, this question might piss you off, and I really don't want to make you angry again. Although, you might not want to answer it at all, making this an even more awkward situation. Just know when I ask this question, no matter how you answer, I will completely understand, and hope you don't unleash your fury upon me!" Naruto babbled on, using his hands to emphasize his words.

Ino bounced up and down in anticipation. Naruto's jumping around the question she thought was coming was killing her.

"JUST ASK ME ALREADY, NARUTO!" Ino hollered in annoyance and excitement. Her heart pounding in her chest rapidly.

Naruto gulped loudly, preparing himself before he blabbered out his question quickly.

"Why are you so pissed at Sai?" Naruto asked quickly and in a high pitched voice, throwing his hands up in front of his face to protect from an attack that never came.

Ino's heart stopped as her mood quickly changed from excitement… to disappointment.

'_Oh… He meant he was afraid to bring up my ex… not ask me out… fucking… (Sigh)… perfect," _Ino thought glumly.

Naruto dropped his hands and opened his eyes after a few seconds to see a disappointed and saddened Ino standing in front of him, although he thought it was because he brought up Sai… not because he didn't ask her out.

"I'm sorry, Ino! Just forget my question! I was afraid you would be put off by it," Naruto spoke softly as he looked at her in concern.

Ino snapped out of her sudden onslaught of sadness as she shook her head slightly. She looked up at Naruto and gave him a reassuring but fake smile.

"No, it's fine, Naruto. I just thought… Oh… Never mind, it isn't important." Ino pulled her bangs to sit behind her ear. "Now… What do you want to know about that dick Sai?"

Naruto looked at her, not knowing he if should continue on with the issue, but decided to believe her.

"Like I said… Why are you pissed at him? I mean… I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries by asking this," Naruto said while pushing his hands into his jacket pockets. Eyes locked onto Ino's face.

Ino turned away from Naruto to look at her reflection in the puddles on the ground. Her image rippled and swayed as she looked at herself.

"I don't know if I really want to talk about it yet," Ino spoke out quietly, apprehension evident in her voice.

She crossed her arms, not in the manner of aggression, but more of comforting herself. With her free hand, she rubbed her arm to help soothe herself. Naruto's eyes dropped as well to look at himself in the small puddles of water on the ground.

"It's that bad, huh? I mean, I've seen you pissed off and even sad before, but… I've never seen you… hurt." Naruto informed sadly, eyes downcast.

Ino didn't respond as she continued to hold herself. Tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes upon hearing the word "hurt" come from Naruto. She _was_ hurt… and she felt trapped by her emotions. She perked up as Naruto spoke again.

"Ino… I know I've never really been there for you like this before… But since you're so willing to help me out with my current issues, then it would only be fair to help you out with yours! So… I mean… What I'm trying to say is that… if you're willing to help me pick up the pieces with my life… I'll gladly do the same for you," Naruto said sweetly as he looked at the withdrawn Ino. "If you'll be my vent… I'll be yours."

Ino smiled softly at hearing Naruto say those things to her. She turned to look back at Naruto with glossy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She quickly wiped her eyes and face, letting out a cute sniffle as she did.

"Thank you… Naruto. I would really appreciate that." Ino spoke appreciatively, her eyes begging to calm from her ramped up emotions. "It would be nice to talk about it to someone who isn't overwhelmed by gossip like most of my friends are."

Naruto smiled widely at Ino, giving her a wink.

"Hey, if you tell me something personal that you don't want getting out, I'll gladly listen and lock it away forever," Naruto said happily, lifting his right hand and jutting out his pinky. "It's a promise, Ino!"

Ino smiled wide and gladly wrapped her pinky around Naruto's, letting a completely content look grace her face as she spoke.

"Ok… It's a promise, and from here on out… you and I are vent buddies! You can talk about your problems with me, and I'll talk about mine with you," Ino said happily, tightening her squeeze on Naruto's pinky.

Naruto nodded while giving a big toothy grin with his eyes shut tightly. The smile made Ino drop her hand back to her side and gasp dramatically.

"Naruto!" Ino hollered out in overdramatic shock, getting Naruto to blink in confusion. "W… was that the ever famous foxy grin!? I thought I would never see you happy enough to see you do that again!"

Naruto blushed slightly as he once again rubbed the back of his head.

"Haha! Ya I guess I'm just…really happy to have a friend like you Ino!" Naruto said happily as the blush faded from his face.

This got Ino to blush slightly, though she turned away from Naruto to let out an awkward couch muffled by her hand. Ino took a couple seconds to recompose herself before she returned and gave a large, toothy, shut-eyed smile to Naruto as well.

"Well, thank you, Naruto! I feel the same way," Ino spoke out, receiving a thumbs up from Naruto.

Ino let her happiness drop slightly though as she looked at Naruto.

"Well… since we are vent buddies now… I guess since you already had your moment… it would only be fair if I answered your question." Ino tried to keep her perkiness up.

Naruto shook his hands in front of his chest to try and back the girl down from the idea.

"No, Ino, it's okay. You really don't have to do that if you aren't ready to! We could talk about it another time or something," Naruto pleaded as he continued to wave his hands.

Ino giggled a little as she shook her head.

"No really, it's okay… Maybe I need to get this off my chest. Have someone hear what happened and get an outside voice for guidance on how to handle it. I've kept it bottled up for months… Maybe you can help me deal with it." Ino went back to cradling herself while holding the umbrella.

Naruto looked at her apprehensively, but gave in and nodded kindly. He reached over and took the umbrella from her, deciding it was his turn to shield them from the downpour. Ino stood quietly for a few moments as she gathered herself for her story. She glanced all around the drenched garden before returning her gaze to the stone fountain. She took a deep breath and sighed slightly.

"Sai and I broke up almost 2 months ago. Knowing that you were locked away in your house, I'll let you know Sai and I started dating shortly after the end of the war," Ino informed, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

Naruto nodded in understanding, gesturing for her to continue.

"We dated for just over four months, and to be honest, everything was going fine. He was actually being a good boyfriend… granted everything he knew came from those stupid ass books he reads!" Ino said with a little frustration, earning a laugh from Naruto, who understood completely what she meant.

Ino's mood turned serious quickly, getting Naruto to also turn his mood and become more focused on what she was saying.

"So…Ya… Things we were going really well. We were reaching that point… and so we decided to… you know… take a very _large_ step in our relationship. My very first LARGE step, mind you," Ino said gently, putting emphasis on the word large.

She looked from the fountain over to Naruto waiting for him to get what she had meant. Naruto looked at her blankly with a slightly puzzled look.

"Oh…" Naruto said nonchalantly before his eyes grew wide and he recoiled. "OH!"

Ino rolled her eyes and looked back at the fountain quietly, letting Naruto absorb what this meant. Naruto recovered and looked at Ino like she was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"WAIT! SO YOURE NOT A VIRG-!?" Naruto hollered but was cut short by a hand clasped over his mouth.

"SHHHHHHHHHHHH! You fucking dumb ass! You want the entire Rain Country to hear you, jackass!?" Ino hissed back letting her hand drop from Naruto's face.

Naruto sweat-dropped and coughed awkwardly.

"S… sorry. Please continue," Naruto whispered out as he refocused himself.

Ino flicked her head, getting her hair to move over her left shoulder, showing off her attitude and displeasure with Naruto practically announcing one of her secrets to the world. She began to play with her ponytail as she relaxed and continued her story.

"Yes… Naruto… I lost my V-card to Sai… but it only happened once," Ino informed quietly, growing sadder with every word.

Naruto raised his eyebrow, wanting to ask why, but chose to let her answer it herself if she wanted to.

"We only ended up doing it once… well… because… it was the main reason we broke up." Ino said softly as she stopped and stood quietly, trying to gather herself.

With her sudden pause Naruto was left with whirlwind of thoughts racing through his head…and he didn't like any of them.

'_What did this fucker do!? He… he didn't rape her, did he!? Oh, I'll fucking kill him if he did that! Or maybe he was really shitty in bed? … No, wait… Ino isn't that shallow, but then maybe he…' _Naruto continued to think at a thousand miles an hour before being interrupted by Ino.

"Naruto… what I'm about to tell you never leaves your mouth and is only between us… Got it!?" Ino asked forcefully, receiving a confident nod from Naruto.

Ino took a deep shaky breath.

"The reason I hate Sai and why we broke up is… On our very first time… MY… very first time ever making love… he… he moaned another person's name," Ino whispered out coldly, her voice trembling trying to hold back her tears.

Naruto stared at Ino with wide eyes and an open mouth. He was completely speechless and didn't even have the courage to move.

"W… wow… That's heavy," Naruto whispered out, receiving no response from Ino. "So he… moaned another girl's name right in the middle of…" Naruto asked out but chose not to finish his question.

Ino curled her fist at her side as she looked at Naruto through unfallen tears. Her teeth gritted together angrily.

"I… I never said… it was a female's name… Naruto," Ino hissed out as the tears finally broke free.

If Naruto was shocked before he was downright awestruck now. He almost fell off of his feet with that sudden information. His mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water while his hands hung loosely at his side.

"Sai's… gay!? WOW! ... That's… um… Wow," Naruto mumbled out as Ino quietly cried next to him.

Naruto recovered from his shock at hearing the slow sniffles coming from his left. Turning to look back at Ino, he saw just how hurt she truly was. She trembled and her cries shook her voice. She tried to cover her face with her hands, but the tears rain through her fingers, landing with the already falling rain.

'_I guess the rain can only hide your tears sometimes,' _Naruto thought sadly, as he reached forward and placed his hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Ino… It's okay, I..." Naruto tried to speak out but was broken from his words as Ino broke her hands from her face and smacked Naruto's hand away forcefully. She stood heatedly next to Naruto with half of her body hanging outside of the umbrella, getting wet from the rain. Her face was red with anger and her eyes glossy with sadness. Tears continued to flow down her face, seemingly unstoppable.

"NO, NARUTO! IT'S NOT FUCKING OKAY! THAT BASTARD TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! HE TOOK MY INNOCENCE! HE TOOK MY HEART AND SMASHED IT INTO A MILLION PIECES! BUT…." Ino's voice trembled and fell slightly, unable to keep up her yelling through her shaky voice. "But worst of all… he lied to me, Naruto."

Naruto also began to shake with emotions. He felt for the woman in front of him, but he just didn't know how to help her. He had never dealt with a problem like this before.

"He lied to me..." Ino whispered out through her tears. "He made me start to love him… start to feel for him… He let me make the choice to give myself to him… and he wasn't even interested in me. Wasn't interested in any woman. That's why I hate it when you lie to me, Naruto… because it reminds me of that bastard… It reminds me of my broken heart and soul. I was willing to give him everything… but he turned out to just be a liar!" Ino was flat out bawling by the time she finished her rant.

"I feel so alone, Naruto…I feel so naked and afraid!" Ino whimpered out through her hands.

Her shoulders shook violently and she was about to fall to her knees when she felt a large, warm embrace encircle her. Her voice caught in her throat but she didn't move her hands from her face. Naruto had grasped her in a tight hug, letting the umbrella he was holding fall to the ground next to them and allowing them to get wet from the slight drizzle that fell on and around them. She leaned into the embrace as she continued to cry. Naruto leaned in close to her ear as he whispered. He rubbed his hand up and down her back to sooth her.

"Shhhhhh… It's okay, Ino… it's okay. Just let it all out… I'm here for you… I'm not going anywhere.

At hearing this Ino flung her arms around Naruto's chest as she buried her face into the crook of his neck, her tears beginning to soak his already slightly damp jacket. She continued to sob as he spoke.

"Like I said before… if you're willing to help me pick up the pieces in my life… I will undoubtedly help you pick up the pieces to yours. You're an amazing woman, Ino… even I can see that! You deserve the best, and you will find it someday. Losing your virginity isn't that big of a deal, anyway… I'm actually jealous of you, haha! I'm the same age as you and I haven't even kissed a girl yet. So… please don't let this bother you anymore, Ino… I will always be right here if you need me. If you truly feel lonely… I'll always be right here… and if you feel naked out in this cold, cold world we live in… I'll gladly be your jacket." Naruto whispered out in the most soothing and loving voice he could manage.

Ino's sobbing had long since stopped as she still stayed buried into Naruto's neck, listening to him speak. Her heart fluttered at hearing his words and for the first time since the incident with Sai…she felt okay about it. Lifting her head and looking up at Naruto, she smiled sweetly. The tears had stopped falling, leaving only glossy eyes and puffy, red cheeks. Naruto smiled back at her as they stayed intertwined in their close hug.

"Do you really mean it, Naruto? Will you really always be there if I need you?" Ino asked in a soft voice as she studied Naruto's eyes, their faces extremely close.

Naruto blushed with the closeness but didn't break away from the embrace.

"Of course, Ino! After all… you are one of my oldest friends and one of my precious people!" Naruto spoke out confidently, sending another large foxy grin at the woman in his arms.

Ino's face lit up and her blush increased tenfold. Her breath was caught in her throat for a brief moment.

'_I'm one of his… precious people,' _Ino thought happily as her heart danced.

Naruto continued to give off his foxy grin with his eyes closed before he felt a small, warm peck on his cheek. Naruto opened his eyes quickly, seeing Ino lean away from his face. Naruto blushed even deeper as tried to focus his thoughts.

"W…w…what was that for?" Naruto asked in a shaky voice as Ino looked at him lovingly.

"That's… for being such a sweet guy… Naruto-Kun…," Ino whispered out as she winked at Naruto seductively.

Naruto let go of his embrace on Ino as she did the same, allowing him to step slightly backward. He rubbed the back of his head as he blushed deeply. He looked into her eyes with complete bafflement.

"D… don't worry about it, Ino," Naruto spoke out, trying to keep his voice calm.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he finally registered the nickname she just spoke.

"Wait, did you just say -Kun!?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

Ino looked at him with her head titled and a glossy, loving look in her eyes. She was about to respond to his question when both were caught off guard.

(BOOM!)

The ground shook as a loud explosion came from behind them. Both turned quickly to look up over the tall building to see smoke and fire dancing in the distance.

"What the fuck was that!?" Naruto asked loudly as he clenched his fists.

Naruto was answered by 2 louder explosions that came from directly in front of them, sending shrapnel and debris from off the building.

"Shit, we are under attack!" Ino yelled out as she protected her face from the shockwave.

Naruto turned away from the explosions and focused on Ino. More bombs and explosions began to rattle off around the compound, shaking the floor with their impact.

"Ino! Go find the rest of the squad and protect Hiro! I'm gonna go get Molly and get her to safety!" Naruto ordered out loudly over the rain and explosions.

Ino nodded in understanding as she put a confident look on her face. The lovey-dovey moment she had been having with Naruto was over. It was time to do what they were sent there to accomplish.

"Right!" Ino confirmed as she turned to run towards the front of the compound as Naruto began to run back towards Molly's room.

"Naruto-Kun!" Ino called out getting Naruto to skid to a stop a few yards away from her. He looked over his shoulder questioningly.

"Be safe…" She called out with a worried look on her face.

Naruto gave a confident smile as he threw a thumbs up over his shoulder.

"You too, Ino!"Naruto hollered back and with those final words, both set off in the direction they were needed.

Naruto ran over to the wall with Molly's window above. With a great leap, he jumped towards the small square with great speed.

'_Well… time to find out if I'm truly ready to do this shit!'_ Naruto thought as he crossed his arms over his face to protect himself, as he crashed through Molly's window.

The battle had begun.

END CHAPTER 6

(Next Chapter: Naruto is finally back in action!)


	8. Chapter 7 Savior

(AN: So…I have started Class. I also have picked up some hours at my work. I'm swamped…. as of right now. I will have to make only a chapter a month instead of a chapter every 2 weeks or so. I will hopefully be able to pick up the pace when I find more time. I will keep myself on track by uploading a chapter every month on the 1st. If I can possibly get a chapter out sooner than once a month…then it will be a little treat :). I have also posted another picture on my deviant art account that I hope you all enjoy!)

Chapter 7 Savior

(CRASH!)

Naruto went straight through the window with ease. He rolled on his shoulder and up to his feet as glass fell to the ground around him loudly. With a soft skid, he stopped in the middle of the room. Rain fell into the now open window, wetting the floor. Naruto looked to his right as the ground rattled again with another explosion. Molly was curled into a ball in the corner of her bed against the wall. She had her blanket pulled up to cover her face as she barely looked over the edge of the comforter. Her eyes widened with the sudden loud entrance that shattered her window.

"Molly, we've got to get you out of here!" Naruto said loudly over the rain that entered the room through the window as the ground shook with another explosion off somewhere.

Molly's eyes lit up at seeing it was Naruto. She let her blanket drop from her face and smiled widely.

"NARUTO-SAMA!" Molly yelled out in relief. "What's going on!? Are we getting attacked again by those people?"

Naruto made his way over to the edge of Molly's bed with his arms spread open so she could grab onto him.

"No time to talk, I've got to get you out of here before one of those bombs hits h-," Naruto spoke out but stopped when he heard an object hit the floor behind him with a thud.

Turning, Naruto saw an arrow sticking out of the floor that must have flown in through the window. Attached to the end hanging by a string was a hissing explosive tag that sparked, signifying its oncoming detonation.

'FUCK!' Naruto thought with wide eyes as he turned quickly back to Molly.

In one quick action Naruto flicked his hands together, creating a clone behind him while he jumped up towards Molly, encircled her with his arms and pushed her close to his chest to protect her from the oncoming blast. The clone jumped forward onto the arrow, throwing out his arms and spreading his limbs wide as he landed, breaking the shaft with his weight. As soon as the clone hit the ground with the arrow beneath him, the explosive tag detonated. With the clone acting as a human shield, the blast was muffled slightly.

The shockwave sent Naruto through the wall next to Molly's bed as shrapnel and glass and chunks of wood from the floor were sent zooming past them. Never letting go of Molly, Naruto turned upwards as his back hit the floor in the room next to hers. Naruto closed his eyes tight as fragments of wood and plaster sprinkled around them. Once all movement stopped, Naruto opened his eyes and lifted his head to look back at the damage. Molly did the same as she turned her face out of Naruto's chest.

Through the massive hole in the now destroyed wall, Naruto observed the destruction. His clone had been obliterated with the explosion and a huge hole now sat where Molly's floor used to be located. The lower level of the home could be seen now, with pipes and wiring now sticking out, letting sparks fly and water flow. All of Molly's things were now gone, having either been completely obliterated or badly damaged.

"My… my room," Molly whimpered as she tightened her grip on Naruto's jacket.

Naruto rolled to his feet, placing his arms under Molly to support her as she clung to his chest. Dust and rubble fell off of their bodies, landing on the floor around them.

"Molly, let's go. I'll get you somewhere safe." Naruto spoke softly as his ears rang loudly from the blast.

Molly nodded as she pushed her face into Naruto's shoulder, letting fearful tears fall, wetting his still-damp jacket. Naruto lifted Molly to his back and put his arms under her legs for support. He jumped back through the massive hole in the wall and landed on the outer edge of the room, where there was still flooring left. With a quick step, Naruto dashed out of the other wall that was now also completely destroyed. The rain fell into the damaged room, drenching everything.

Naruto jumped over the rooftops as the rain fell; the hardest it had all night. The droplets stung the skin, their impact making Molly flinch and squint her eyes. Naruto was heading towards the main entrance of the compound with great speed, his feet splashing up water as they connected with the black tiles of the roof. Naruto scanned the mayhem as he made another large jump to another roof of the compound.

Smoke blurred his eyes as the rain also made it hard to make out objects. Explosions continued to rattle off all around, making the earth shake violently. Naruto ran along the roof, seeing the large gate in the distance. Naruto jumped down onto a lower wall in front of the house and continued his pace. Once the large home that was blocking Naruto's vision ended as he continued to run along the wall, he looked to his right into the large courtyard in the front of the estate. Just as he had reached the front of the home, it seems his friends had, as well.

Bursting from the front doors, Shikamaru, Choji, Sakura, Sai, and Ino ran out into the pouring rain. Hiro was encircled by his friends who were obviously putting up a human wall around him for protection. Stopping in the middle of the court yard, Shikamaru turned his head as he and Naruto made eye contact. Shikamaru's head turned slowly, following Naruto as he continued to run along the large courtyard wall. The rest of the squad also looked over to see what had caught their captain's attention. At seeing the passenger Naruto carried on his back, Shikamaru understood what Naruto's intentions were and nodded firmly. Naruto nodded back as he turned and jumped from the wall to the floor on the other side of the courtyard, breaking from the squad's eyesight.

Shikamaru quickly turned back to his team.

"Come on! We have to get Hiro to the bunker!" Shikamaru ordered. The group began to move once again. Rain splashed their ankles as they ran smoothly through the large puddles on the ground.

Their trek was stopped abruptly as an arrow with an explosive tag at the end landed a few feet in front of them. It hissed loudly in the heavy downpour.

"GET BACK!" Choji yelled. The group skidded to a stop and jumped away as the blast went off.

Shikamaru slid on his stomach, splashing up water until he came to a stop. Picking himself up quickly onto his knee, he scanned the area to assess the statuses of his teammates. Ino, Choji and Sakura stood off to the side a few feet from the newly formed crater caused by the explosion. Sai was crouched on a knee similar to Shikamaru as he had Hiro next to him.

Standing, Shikamaru began to say something before something behind the smoke from the explosion caught his eye. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the figures that began to emerge from the smoke. The other members also focused as they realized the explosions that had been going on around them had ceased and only the sound of heavy rain rattled the night air.

The smoke finally cleared away with the wind, leaving 2 people standing on the opposite side of the crater. The rain continued to fall heavily around them as they tried to make out who their enemies were. Shikamaru gestured for the squad to form up as they walked together. They once again created a human wall around Hiro as the dark figures concealed by the rain still stood motionless.

"Who are they?" Choji asked out sternly, as he continued to watch the attackers carefully.

"I can't see any identifiable markings or symbols through this rain," Sakura stated calmly as she balled her fists, making her knuckles pop.

"We will just have to wait for them to make a move. With us having no knowledge on who these two people are… It would be stupid to attack them blindly," Shikamaru informed, earning a nod from the rest of his team.

"Are you afraid?" A feminine voice called out quietly over the rainfall.

The squad flinched at the new, unknown voice coming from the two figures. They were rattled that they were even able to hear her so clearly through this rain. They were having to yell just to get the people next to them to hear what they were saying. How was that possible?

"What's wrong, kiddies? Cat got your tongue?" The voice whispered out again from the direction of the dark figures.

Ino shivered from the tone in the woman's voice. It sounded so sweet and caring. It was… unnatural… they shouldn't have even been able to hear the woman from that distance.

'_What the hell is this!?' _Ino thought in frustration. Something didn't seem right at all.

Ino stared at the still unmoving figures before blinking quickly. As her eyes reopened, one of the figures was gone.

'_WHAT!?' _Ino thought completely shocked.

"W… where did he go!?" Choji yelled out in shock as he took a step backwards.

"SAKURA, ABOVE YOU!" Sai yelled out as he jumped backwards, away from the rest of the team.

Sakura looked up quickly to see a dark figure racing towards her in the pitch black sky. She could see the person's leg was raised for a kick. Sakura quickly threw her arms over her head and reinforced her arms with chakra to keep them from being broken by the incoming attack. The kick hit Sakura's arms dead on, causing the floor beneath her feet to crack and shake from the impact.

The mystery figure, seeing that their attack wasn't effective, twirled in the air and landed a couple feet in front of Sakura.

Lowering her arms with a wince from the pain in her now throbbing arms, Sakura readied herself for a counter attack. She was about to lunge at her attacker, but they jumped into the air and the area where the person was previously standing was destroyed by a large fist sticking into the ground.

The mystery person back-flipped and landed a few yards from where Choji's attack hit. The person slowly stood up and smiled wickedly at the group.

"Damn, I missed," Choji growled out as his fist shrunk back to normal size.

Focusing on the now clearly visible woman that stood before them, the team studied her appearance through the heavy rain.

The woman had long, cotton candy blue hair that was cut at the middle of her back. It stuck to her face and body from the rainfall. Her bangs hung just to the top of her eyes, sticking to her forehead. She had piercing brown eyes that glared menacingly at the group. She wore a long-sleeved, skintight black shirt with an orange swirl directly on her chest. Her black Jonin pants were torn at the knees and left untied at her ankles, unlike how most ninja wore them. Her sandals had a slight wedge on her heels, and were also black. On her left arm was a plate where a village symbol usually was present, but this plate was blank.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and glared back at her attacker, gritting her teeth at the smug look on the woman's face.

"Who the fuck are you!?" Ino yelled from behind Sakura as she walked forward.

Stopping beside Sakura, Ino didn't break her gaze from the woman, who only smiled slyly with a snicker.

The woman suddenly jumped backward a couple feet as a black and white tiger impacted the ground with a crash. Ink and water flew into the air before falling to the ground in puddles.

"She's fast," Sai spoke out calmly as he re-pocketed his brush. "She didn't even look at my attack, and yet she dodged it perfectly."

The woman kept quiet with the sly smile still on her face. Her eyes scanned over each person closely before she locked her gaze on Hiro, who was standing behind Sai. He cowed under her gaze and gulped loudly.

"Ah! There you are!" The woman spoke out calmly, setting herself into an attack position with her knees bent and spread. Her left arm extended out in front of her while her right arm stayed at her side.

She scanned Hiro calmly before she started to glance around him as if she was looking for something. She huffed with an annoyed look on her face as she turned her head to look back over her shoulder.

"HARU! The girl isn't here with these ninja!" the woman called out back towards her partner, who was still shadowed by the pitch black rainfall.

"Of course she isn't, Kira…My real self is already in pursuit of the ninja protecting her," the other person called out from the distance in an emotionless tone. By the sound of it, the other attacker was also female.

The blue haired woman, now known as Kira, huffed and turned red with anger. She fully turned away from Hiro and the others as she yelled childishly back to her partner.

"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE I CHARGED OVER HERE TO SEE IF SHE WAS WITH THEM!" Kira shouted out loudly stomping her foot childishly.

"It's not my fault you are reckless and stupid," The other woman spoke out again, her voice completely drained of emotion. "Also, Kira…"

"WHAT!?" Kira yelled in annoyance, still red-faced.

"Behind you…"

"Huh...?"

(BOOM!)

Sakura's fist impacted with the ground, sending fragments of rock and brick into the air. The ground indented around her fist as she yanked herself free from the hole.

"How the hell is she doing that!?" Sakura yelled out in frustration, watching as Kira skid to a stop a few feet from where Sakura attacked. "It's like she has eyes in the back of her head!"

Kira smiled as she turned back over her shoulder to look at Haru once again.

"YO! Go ahead and catch up with your real body! I can handle these pests," Kira hollered out back to the still cloaked Haru.

With that being said, Haru vanished from sight with no trace.

Kira turned back towards the group of ninja in front of her and gave an ominous glare towards Hiro.

"Well, kiddies….who wants to dance first?" Kira whispered out menacingly as she crouched down ready to fight.

Sakura was about to step forward when Shikamaru called out from behind her.

"Sai! Choji! Get Hiro to the bunker and guard him with your life!"

Choji and Sai looked baffled at the sudden order and did not move from their spots.

"What the hell are you, crazy?!" Choji yelled, apprehension etched onto his features. "It's four on one! If we all fight here, there's no way we can lose!"

"I agree," Sai said calmly.

"Listen, protecting Hiro is our main objective. We need to get him to safety before he gets hurt. With both of your guys' abilities you two are the best out of us to guard him." Shikamaru replied, aggravated.

Choji and Sai hesitated for a brief second before nodding in understanding.

"Ino! Naruto is on his own with an unknown enemy on his tail. Go after them and help Naruto protect Molly!" Ino nodded, confidence written on her face.

"Sakura! You are here with me! We won't allow this woman to get to the bunker!" Sakura nodded in understanding without breaking eye contact with Kira.

Shikamaru looked around at his teammates and friends briefly before he returned his eyes to Kira.

"NOW GO!" Shikamaru yelled out as the group scattered.

Choji and Sai ran towards the bunker in a quick pace with Hiro in tow. Ino dashed away from Sakura as she jumped up and over the courtyard wall, breaking from sight just as Naruto had done earlier. Shikamaru walked up to stand next to Sakura as Kira stood, calmly watching as the group scattered in different directions.

"Splitting up? Is that really the best strategy?" Kira asked mockingly.

Shikamaru stood quietly never breaking eye contact as he ignored the young woman's question.

"What do you want here? Why send your partner after my friend?" Shikamaru asked calmly. "He's nowhere near where your target is."

Kira smirked and flicked her wet hair out of her face.

"Don't worry about it kid you have no idea what our target is. Just know that you picked the wrong chick to pick a fight with tonight," Kira spoke scornfully.

Sakura gritted her teeth angrily, causing them to crackle slightly. The tone this woman was using was beginning to get on her nerves.

"I don't know who you are or what the hell you want, but the Five Nations are under a truce. Whatever Nation and village you are affiliated with will be persecuted for your actions!" Sakura spoke, her fists balled. "Stand down!"

Kira giggled quietly to herself before gripping her sides and bursting out in full blown laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man, you must be the funny one, eh, pinky?" Kira asked mockingly. "If you think I give a shit about some stupid-ass truce… well then you're dumber than you look!"

Sakura growled in annoyance and took a step forward to attack the cocky harlot when Shikamaru's arm reached out, blocking her path.

"Calm down, Sakura. You're better than to let the enemy get in your head," Shikamaru spoke calmly, never looking away from Kira.

Sakura glanced back at Kira, then took a deep breath.

"Right," Sakura whispered out quietly as she collected herself.

"Well… since you two seem to want to play…" Kira smirked and flicked her drenched hair out of her face. "Why not play!?"

Kira regained her fighting stance before disappearing in a flicker. Sakura and Shikamaru both quickly shifted into fighting stances back to back waiting for the enemy's attack. The rain seemed to fall even harder as the wind began to pick up. The cold liquid that fell around them iced the skin and made it hard to see. Sakura squinted her eyes as she looked in every direction for Kira.

"Do you want to know why we waited so long to attack after our first attempt?" Kira's voice whispered through the downfall.

A quick slash of what looked like water lashed out from the blackness of the night at Shika and Sakura, causing both to jump apart to avoid being cut in half. The attack collided with the ground, leaving a deep gash in the earth that instantly began to fill with falling rain.

Shikamaru looked around at his surroundings slowly, trying to catch any movement in the downpour. He narrowed his eyes in frustration as he placed his right hand on his kunai holder. Without knowing where the enemy was he couldn't attack, but he sure as hell could defend.

"You were gathering yourselves?" Shikamaru asked in an almost uninterested tone.

A slight giggle echoed around himself and Sakura.

Another slash of water came out of nowhere, trying to slice Sakura's body in half. With a quick jump, she back flipped over the water blade as it past under her. Sakura landed on her feet as water splashed up from her impact on the ground. Sakura once again began to scan the area for Kira, but to no avail.

Sakura growled in frustration.

"No… The reason my Sister and I waited until tonight to attack again was because of one very important fact." Kira called out over the rain. Her voice sounding as if it was coming from every direction at once.

Suddenly, Shikamaru froze as he felt a presence suddenly appear behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Kira standing behind him with her hands in a seal.

"My affinity is water," Kira whispered menacingly. "Water Style: Razor Droplet Jutsu!"

With a large inhale and exhale, Kira sent out hundreds of water spikes straight into Shikamaru's back. Simultaneously, a small capsule dropped from Shikamaru's hand and fell to the ground beside him. It ignited and created a large flash bang, blinding Kira and Sakura. Sakura raised her arms over her face and eyes to help shield from the blinding light that had illuminated the battle field.

"SHIKAMARU!"

-Forest Outside Compound –

An orange-and-black blur moved through the trees with great speed as it made its way away from the great swordmaker's home. The front gate of the compound was now a half mile behind the figure, who showed no intention of slowing down. The rain continued to fall all around, thick and heavy drops drenching everything they came in contact with.

"Naruto-Sama," Molly whispered into Naruto's ear while still clinging to his back.

"Hm," Naruto grunted as he kept his attention on the damp tree branches ahead, using chakra to keep from slipping on the slick surfaces.

"Where are we going… and where's Daddy?" Molly squeaked, not bothering to hide the fear in her voice.

At hearing the distress in his young passenger's voice, Naruto looked over his shoulder and sent a warm, calming smile to Molly.

"I'm taking you to the Hidden Rain village that's not too far away from here. You will be safe there. As for your dad… he's fine! With my friends guarding him, you don't have to worry. You'll see him soon!" He turned back to the trees ahead.

Molly didn't respond to Naruto's words of encouragement, but rather buried her face into the back of his shoulder to help protect herself from the chilling storm. Her emotions had been shot from the events of the night; for now, she would believe him without question.

They continued to move along the wet terrain of trees for a couple of minutes before Molly felt Naruto's muscles tense underneath her. She looked up from his shoulder to look at the side of Naruto's face. He seemed bothered by something.

"What's wrong, Naruto-Sama?" Molly asked in a worried tone as Naruto looked back at her with focused eyes.

He didn't answer her question and kept his gaze upon her. His eyes seemed to be looking over the top of her head back down the path which they had just traveled. He looked concerned.

"Molly," Naruto whispered out just loud enough for her to hear. "I want you to read my mind. I'll communicate to you that way."

"W…what? Why?" Molly asked, confused.

Naruto didn't reply. He turned his vision back towards the path and he seemed to pick up the pace slightly. His grip on Molly's legs tightened and his movements became much more focused.

Molly chose to finally comply with Naruto's request and focused on her mark, activating it. There was a moment of silence before Naruto began to think.

"_Molly… If you're reading my thoughts, squeeze my arm,"_ Naruto thought in a confident tone.

Molly complied with his request and reached over and squeezed his arm before returning to her previous resting position with her arms around his neck.

"_Okay, good. Now Molly, what I'm about to tell you is very important. Please do not panic and stay calm." _Naruto thought sternly, a tinge of concern in its undertone.

Molly didn't say anything as she waited for Naruto to continue, which he did after a brief moment.

"_We're being followed… I picked up their chakra a few moments ago. They're moving quickly and will reach us in a few minutes. Now listen very, very carefully, Molly…" _

Naruto moved his hand together, creating a cross.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu," Naruto spoke out quietly as five clones puffed to life around him. Two of the clones dashed away from the original into the blackness of the forest, fading completely from sight. The last three clones created a triangle formation around Naruto as they continued to move through the trees.

"_I don't know what this person wants and I may have to fight back if they are hostile. So, Molly… if I have to fight this person, I want you to find the best hiding spot you possibly can…Okay? And no matter what happens… Do not leave that hiding spot until I say it's safe, okay?" _

Molly nodded slightly and gulped hard. She had no idea what to think or do. All she could do was to listen to Naruto… and pray this person following them was just a guard from home.

Naruto continued on his path, jumping from one branch to the other, his pace smooth and determined. His attention was fully on the chakra signature that was gaining on him. The chakra felt calm and untainted… At first guess, Naruto would say this mystery pursuer was friendly.

Naruto jumped from a branch to another before his thoughts were cut short by a sudden sound.

(SNAP!)

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks on the branch and quickly looked down at his feet. A silver wire and been tied to the tree trunk and the branch he just landed on.

"_TRIP WIRE?!" _Naruto screamed mentally_. _

Naruto jumped down from the branch just as hundreds of steel-headed arrows shot out from the blackness of the forest. They impacted against the trees with loud thuds and cracks, piercing the wood. Naruto's clones were engulfed from the onslaught of arrows and poofed out of existence. Naruto plummeted to the forest floor, spinning and contorting his body in mid air to avoid the hundreds of arrows that flew by him. Molly screamed in terror.

An arrow sliced a small cut on Naruto's cheek just as he landed on the floor. The hail of arrows immediately stopped upon his impact, leaving nothing but the whistling trees and heavy rain to fill the air.

Naruto looked up towards the tall trees above, his left eye slightly squinted. The pain on his now slightly injured cheek caused some discomfort. Naruto's eyes grew wide at seeing the havoc he had just nearly escaped.

Thousands of arrows riddled the trees above. They seemed to have come from every direction… a true dead man's trap.

"_Wow… that was to close for comfort," _Naruto thought in an aggravated tone.

"You're very skilled to have been able to escape my trap with nothing but a mere scratch." A monotone voice spoke from above and behind Naruto.

Naruto flinched and quickly turned and looked up to see who had just spoken up. He squinted his eyes to see through the rain. A lone woman stood on a branch just outside the attack radius of her trap.

"Who the fuck are you!? And what the hell's your problem!?" Naruto barked, pointing at her aggressively.

The woman jumped down from her position on the branch above and landed on the forest floor a few feet in front of Naruto.

"You were so caught up on my clone, I was sure that my trap would kill you," she spoke calmly, choosing to ignore Naruto's questions.

Naruto growled, annoyed at having been ignored so nonchalantly. He then registered what the woman just said. He tried to locate the chakra that had been pursuing him before the trap… but he couldn't find it.

"_Little bitch… she tricked me," _Naruto thought in a sly tone._ "She made me focus on what was behind me instead of the trap that was in front… She's smart."_

Naruto narrowed his eyes at this woman, choosing now to look her over as she stood motionless in front of him.

She was a fairly tall young woman, no older than 25. She was wearing a black hood that she currently had pulled up over her head. The hood was connected to what seemed like a scarf that was wrapped loosely around her neck. Underneath the hood, Naruto could see she had shoulder-length dull red hair. Her face was pale and her eyes were pupil-less black. She had a nose piercing on her left nostril that was a ring. Her choice of attire outside the black hooded scarf was a red sleeveless top with absolutely no significant markings. On her arms she wore black elbow sleeves and a leather glove on her right hand. She had on black cargo pants that were ripped at the knees. Her red shinobi sandals were bright and matched her top.

What caught Naruto's eye the most though was the bow she had slung over her left shoulder and the quick access arrow holder strapped to her back. Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman.

"So you were the one who shot the explosive arrow in Molly's room earlier," Naruto said in a low cold tone, his teeth gritting with a crackle.

"Yes… I knew it wouldn't kill you, but I needed to get you moving." The young woman spoke in a monotone voice, her eyes showing absolutely no emotion.

Naruto raised a brow in confusion.

"Get us moving? What the hell are you talking about!? We are nowhere near Hiro or his library, so why would you need to get us moving and then pursue us!?" Naruto asked, frustrated. There was a sinking feeling beginning to form in his stomach.

"Nowhere near my target? I don't know what you mean… My target is right in front of me, Uzumaki-San."

Naruto flinched and took a step backwards at hearing his name.

"What do you mean!? How do you know my name!?" Naruto asked in flustered confusion.

The young woman across from him smiled slightly and shook her head slowly.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you?" she asked calmly, but receiving no answer from Naruto, who continued to glare. "Well… to answer one… no we have never met… But I do know who you are, Naruto… or should I say… Blazing Angel of Konoha."

Naruto furrowed his brow and began to lower his body to allow Molly to slide off onto the ground. Naruto never broke eye contact with his attacker. He bent down on one knee as Molly stood behind him.

"_She knows me from the bingo book, it would seem," _Naruto thought calmly.

"What do you want…? We were no longer a threat to you once we left Hiro's compound," Naruto questioned aggressively.

"_I've got a bad feeling I won't like the answer to that question," _Naruto thought with slight worry.

Haru looked at Naruto for a brief moment before she rolled her shoulder, allowing her bow to fall into her hand off of her shoulder. Returning her gaze to Naruto, her eyes became more focused and much more threatening.

"Our target was never Hiro, Naruto-San…" Haru spoke out calmly as her grip on the bow tightened ready to make her move.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, absorbing the information. His fists tightened little pops emanating from the knuckles.

"_She's after Molly…" _

Naruto shot a glance behind him to see Molly was still standing behind him, cowering. He could see she had just read his thoughts and the young girl's fear had grown tenfold. Naruto quickly returned his focus back to Haru, who stood with her bow still at her side in her right hand.

"_Molly… it's about time you go find that hiding place I told you about, okay?" _Naruto ordered mentally while he began to ready himself for the upcoming battle.

Molly turned and was about to run when an arrow connected with the ground right in front of her.

"AHHHHH!"Molly screamed as she fell backwards onto her bottom.

Naruto flinched from the scream and he looked quickly behind him to see the arrow. He then shot his head towards the tree tops to find where the arrow had come from, scanning the trees. It didn't take Naruto long to see an exact copy of Haru standing with her bow out stretched showing she had fired the shot.

"W…WHAT!?" Naruto asked out in confusion as he glanced between the two women quickly.

"Try to get away again, little girl, and that arrow won't miss." The Haru in the tree tops spoke out calmly, but full of killing intent.

Molly gulped loudly as she turned her head to look at Naruto with complete fear in her eyes, pleading emotionally for him to provide the answer to their current predicament. Naruto looked back at Molly with stone cold eyes. Molly gulped again.

"You can use shadow clones, huh?" Naruto asked out as he looked from the original Haru to the clone in the trees. "That's really impressive, actually… not many people have the chakra to use them."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and sneered slyly.

"But I'm sure you know already that I can use shadows clones, as well….and I'm sure ten times better than you can."

"Enough talk, Uzumaki-San… Give me the girl or face your fate," Haru said, her voice aggressive, yet monotone.

"HAH! You know who I am, and yet you're making threats; you must be really dum-" Naruto mocked, but was cut off as Haru shot an arrow at him with a blur of movement from her bow. Naruto jumped back, grabbing Molly, and skidded a few feet as 3 arrows stuck into the ground in a line.

"_She's fast!" _Naruto realized as he jumped once again as the clone above began to pierce the earth and trees with arrows directed towards him. He took to the trees as the onslaught of arrows continued, never ending. The whistles and cracks of their impacts were sending chills down his spine.

"_FUCK! I can't even fight back right now! I got to get Molly somewhere safe!' _Naruto thought while jumping and twisting through the trees as the arrows whistled by daring Naruto to slip up.

Naruto dashed forward as quickly as he could. The rain and wind whistled past him in a blur. He kept his pace up until he was in a clearing, away from his attacker. She was gone for now, but he knew she was close on his tail. In the clearing was a small cave against the hillside that was shrouded by some trees. The cliff stretched upwards some hundred yards. It looked slick and menacing in the black sky and pouring rain.

"Molly! Stay in here until I come and get you, okay?" Naruto barked out as he pushed the large branches that were concealing the entrance out of the way.

Molly nodded as she slipped out of Naruto's arms and ran into the cave. She turned to see Naruto beginning to cover the entrance.

"Naruto-Sama…" Molly whispered out just loud enough to catch Naruto's attention, halting him from his task. "…be careful."

Naruto nodded firmly, sending the young girl a warm smile and a thumbs up.

"Always," Naruto respond sweetly.

With that being said, Naruto pushed the bushes forward, blocking the entrance completely from sight. Naruto turned and dash forward and into the trees. He needed to make sure whoever this woman was or what she wanted with Molly….she was going to fail.

"_I must protect Molly….Even if I have doubts….I can't fail again!" _Naruto gulped dryly, the knot he had in his throat clearing for the moment. Naruto was brought back to earth as an arrow pierced the blackness in front of him, flying straight for his head. With a quick duck, Naruto was able to dodge the arrow and slide to a stop on a large branch. He focused his eyes on the darkness around him, trying his best to see through the rain.

"Your movements are quick, Uzumaki-San… Not many people can outrun me, let alone dodge my arrows," Haru's voice came from the darkness in front of him.

Naruto smirked as Haru decided to step out of the shadows and into the moonlight that made its way through the trees.

"Thanks… You know, you're not bad with that bow either… managed to nick me on the cheek earlier." Naruto spoke in a calm tone, his eyes never loosing focus on the bow in her right hand.

"Yes… Well, I will be sure to do a lot more than nick you next time." Haru raised her bow once again to begin the fight once more.

Naruto gulped as his knuckles popped and his body shook with anticipation.

"_H… here we go," _Naruto thought weakly as he tried to calm his breaths._ "Let's see what I got… and more importantly… what you got, bitch."_

Haru launched the first strike with a quick hand, sending an arrow straight for Naruto's neck and then jumping herself upwards to a higher branch before sending another two more arrows with chakra infused into the tips.

Naruto was quick on his feet as well. With a flick of his right hand, he drew a kunai from his easy-access pouch and blocked the first arrow with a loud clang. He then backflipped off of the branch, grabbing it with his left hand and pulling himself below it as the two chakra arrows impacted the branch, cracking it loudly. Naruto swung himself off of the branch and, in midair, sent his own barrage of kunais and shuriken swirling and twisting through the air at Haru.

Haru jumped from one branch to another as the sharp steel thrown by Naruto rattled the tree where she formally stood with their impact. She jumped quickly from her landing spot and dashed forward into the air towards Naruto. Pulling a blade from her own access pouch on her thigh, she swung forward at Naruto, who blocked her attack with his own kunai.

Eyes locked as blades connected. They glared at each other as they plummeted to the forest floor. Their attacks and counters rattled off as kicks and slashes from their weapons filled the air with the sounds of their impacts.

Naruto threw an elbow at Haru; it connected with her chin and sent her backwards and into the tree truck behind her, forming a dent in its large frame. Naruto spun in the air and landed on the ground swiftly as he looked up with a smirk at having finally connected a blow on the woman.

(POOF)

The Haru who was connected with the tree poofed away, leaving nothing but white smoke.

"WHAT?!" Naruto gasped out as his eyes grew wide.

"Too late…" Naruto heard a menacing voice from behind him.

With a quick twist of his head, Naruto saw that Haru had already shot her arrow and it was mere inches away from ending Naruto's life.

"_FUCK!"_ Naruto thought quickly as he twisted his body around raising his arms over his face as a last ditch effort to protect himself.

"You lose!" Haru called out just as the arrow impacted Naruto's arms.

Haru smirked, but it quickly fell as the arrow shattered as it connected with Naruto's arms. Haru was baffled and could only stare in awe at what just happened.

"_W….WHAT!? That arrow hit him right on! How did it shatter!?"_ Haru disbelievingly as the grip on her bow tightened.

Naruto stayed in his protected position for a few more seconds before his shoulders shook.

"Hahaha…" Naruto laughed quietly to himself.

He lowered his arms slowly, revealing sharp yellow eyes with rectangular pupils. Naruto stared up towards Haru with a sly smile on his face.

"W…what is that!?" Haru asked out in a baffled tone as she stared into Naruto's eyes.

"This….this is Sage Mode." Naruto whispered out in a calm tone. "And as of right now… I'm through playing around."

Haru bared her teeth a low growl escaping out through her anger.

"_Phew!" _Naruto thought in relief. _"I'm glad I had those two clones run off earlier and start gathering Nature energy or I'd be screwed! Now I have to just manage my jutsu and save my Fox Cloak just in case."_

Haru started her barrage of arrows once again but this time making sure to infuse the tips with chakra. Naruto's Nature Chakra might have made his skin tougher, but a chakra-infused arrow could pierce just about anything.

Naruto jumped and dodged his way through the hail of metal and wood that rained down upon him. He was making his way closer towards Haru as he himself threw his shuriken and kunai. Naruto needed to get in close... long range battle was not his strong suit.

"**Naruto…" **Kurama called out from the recesses of Naruto's mind.

"_Yo?"_ Naruto called out as he continued to attack and counter his way closer towards Haru.

"**Something's wrong, Kit… Your chakra network is on the fritz!" **Kumara informed, concern etched in his voice.

Naruto twirled in the air and sent three kunai slicing through the air towards Haru, who jumped back, allowing the cold steel to impact the branch she previously occupied.

"_What do you mean? I feel fine,"_ Naruto thought as he tried to keep the majority of his focus on Haru who continued with her onslaught of arrows.

"**I don't know… I'm trying to gather chakra for the cloak if we need it… and I can't! It's like my chakra and that of the rest of the demons are being blocked. The chakra gates aren't sealed… but your chakra won't move… It's like it's…frozen." **

Naruto blocked another of Haru's arrows, bringing him just a few trees away from her. He was finally close enough to fight back effectively.

"_Well, find out what's wrong and fix it! 'Cuz I'm a little busy here feeding this bitch my rasengan! _Naruto thought in irritation.

"**WAIT, NARUTO!" **Kurama yelled out, trying to hold off Naruto's attack, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

Naruto jumped forward, bringing his hands together as he called out over the rain.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Naruto yelled out as he soared through the air ever closer to Haru.

There was a brief moment of hesitation on both sides as Naruto moved through the air before Naruto realized the horrible realization of what just happened…his jutsu didn't activate.

"_WHAT THE FUCK!? WHERE'S MY CLONE!?" _Naruto thought in horror as he looked into the eyes of Haru who seemed quite content about something.

Naruto tried to recover from his moment of shock as he finally reached Haru from his jump, but was unable to block the kick the Haru aimed at his ribs. Naruto was sent flying as the sound of a crack could be heard with the impact.

"AGHHH!" Naruto yelled out in pain as he crashed end over end through the tree branches before colliding with the forest floor and skidding to a halt in the damp mud.

Naruto wheezed in pain as he grasped the mud below him squeezing it tight and having it seep from between his fingers. He looked up from the damp earth to see Haru standing above him in the trees with a large smile plastered on her face.

"I was waiting for you to finally try and activate one of your justus," Haru spoke out mockingly as she raised her hand and pulled her drenched bangs behind her ear.

Naruto growled and narrowed his eyes. He raised his body off of the cold wet floor slowly with one arm while the other wrapped around his throbbing left ribs. He picked himself up into a kneeling position as the rain washed away the mud that lined his clothes.

"You…. (COUGH)… what did you DO to me?!" Naruto growled out in anger trying his best to calm his breathing as he coughed out blood.

Haru narrowed her eyes as the smile on her face grew even wider. The look on her face made Naruto sick with anger.

"The slash on your cheek…does it sting?" Haru asked in a snicker.

Naruto stared quietly for a brief moment as realization set in.

"_The….the cut!" _Naruto thought in shock.

"It's my own special type of paralysis poison. You see, instead of freezing the body… it constricts the chakra network leaving it unusable." Haru informed, the wide smile still on her face.

"…_.Shit," _Naruto thought in a growl.

"Now your justus are useless, and with your chakra flow stilled… your sage mode is useless… Such a pity… Well, for you, anyway," Haru mocked.

Naruto gulped a dry breath as he raised himself to his feet, allowing his arm to drop back down to his side. Naruto spat out the last bit of blood from his mouth as he glared. Naruto might have seemed calm on the outside…but on the inside was a completely different story.

"**That's not good, Kit. Without your chakra network, not only can we not use jutsu… but I can't even heal you." **Kurama spoke out in concern.

"_You think I don't know that? My cracked ribs know that much! Ahhhhh, FUCK! What the fuck am I gonna do!? I knew I wasn't ready! I should have stayed home and …and."_

"**Naruto, calm down!" **Chomei (7 Tails) called out from Naruto's mind.

"_How!? Without my chakra, I'm screwed! This woman's got me when it comes to weapons and long range! There's nothing I can do right now!" _Naruto yelled in frustration.

"**Naruto… I might be able to counter the poison in your system," **Chomei said happily.

"_WHAT, REALLY!?"_ Naruto asked loudly in excitement.

"**Yes… but I'll need time. I've never seen this kind of poison before. If you can keep yourself from dying for a little while, I'll have you back to 100% in no time!" **Chomei said cheerfully.

Naruto sweat-dropped at how nonchalantly she mentioned his death.

"_I'll get you that time, Chomei! I hope…" _Naruto informed with slight doubt in his tone.

"**And I'll continue building my chakra. When Chomei's done, we'll go full fox and waste this bitch!" **Kurama informed confidently, earning a wide grin from Naruto.

Naruto returned his focus to the outer world just in time to see an arrow heading straight for him. With a quick step to the side, Naruto casually avoided the arrow, which landed next to him. He looked up through the rain at Haru, who still had her wide grin on her face. She lowered her bow as she snickered.

"Still planning to fight back even without your justus?" Haru asked mockingly, earning a snarl from Naruto.

Naruto balled his fists, readying himself to yell back in anger, when he picked up a familiar chakra approaching fast from behind Haru.

"_Seems like even though I can't use the full abilities of my Sage chakra, I can still use the sensory skills it gives me." _Naruto thought cheerfully.

Naruto calmed himself as he looked up at Haru with a smirk on his face. This caused Haru to drop her smile and raise a brow at Naruto's sudden mood swing.

"I won't have to use my justus to beat you." Naruto said calmly as the grin on his face grew even wider.

"And why's that?" Haru asked apprehensively as she raised her brow higher.

"Because he has me, whore!" A voice yelled out from behind Haru.

Haru turned quickly with just enough time to see hundreds of water shuriken slicing through the rainfall at blurring speed, heading right towards her.

The shuriken connected with Haru, slicing and impaling her over and over as blood and fabric ripped from her body. After a brief moment the jutsu was over, and Haru's limp and shredded body fell from the tree and plummeted towards the earth. With its descent, a loud poof was heard as the Haru clone disappeared.

Just as it vanished, a dark figure landed on one of the high branches above. The rain and darkness concealed most of her from sight, but Naruto didn't have to see her to know who it was.

"Damn… just a clone!" The figure spoke with a loud humph. "Sorry I'm late, Naruto-Kun. You sure travel fast!"

Naruto laughed slightly before sending his dark savior a large toothy grin and spoke with a relieved tone.

"Late!? What are you talking about? …You're right on time, Ino."

-END CHAPTER 7-

AN: Ya so I don't really know what Ino's affinity is… so I'm going to go with water. Just seems to fit her. Hope you all enjoyed and look forward to your reviews as usual! See you next month on the First! :D


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